


Asago Academy: Yunna's Route

by orphan_account



Series: Asago Academy: Yunna's Route Series [1]
Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: F/M, Feel free to comment, My first public fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7578187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if Hanna Mizuno never went to Asago? In this alternate timeline, Yunna Readmen is the newest transfer student to Asago Academy. Follow her story as she meets Mai, the Normal Boots, and Hidden Block club in this first installment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> I feel so nervous. *Fans self.* Um, hello! This is my first work on AO3. If anyone feels I am taking too much from the original work, please tell me so I can take it down! I am still working on my fanfic, but I am going to be posting the first eight days plus X-Z in total. I am planning on writing most of the routes afterward (and replacing Jacques route with an original route). Now, with that said, I hope that you do enjoy what I had written.

The train started to turn the bend, a view of the Japan coast getting slowly closer as it sped along the track. I could feel my heart in my throat as I bounced in my seat, gazing out the window, a wide smile on my face. I turned to see the boy that sat across from me, fully engrossed in his newspaper. I was relieved when he didn’t say anything when I first entered the compartment. It would have been difficult to squeeze in anywhere else since the rest of the train was packed. In fact, he hadn’t said a single word for the past few hours. I didn’t mind the silence though. It was a nice change of pace to what I was used to. 

I turned my attention back to the window, watching the various trees and hills pass by with small glints of the ocean peeking through every now and again. I kept wondering if this was how that one wizard felt on his first train ride to magic school, a grin slowly spreading on my face as I imagined myself in that boy’s position. 

_If only I had a wand…_

I took a deep breath to try and settle myself down, my excitement getting the better of me again.

The train gave a shudder, snapping me out of my train of thought. My eyes wandered back to the boy, now noticing that he wore a green and gray varsity jacket. I had to resist the urge to try and fix the poorly sewn on patch that was on the front. I was about to look away when I heard his voice. 

“So, you’re a first year, then?” He asked me, folding his newspaper and putting it on the seat next to him as he made eye contact with me. It was the first time I took a good look at his face. His expression was one of someone that was only half-interested, his smile almost blinding as he looked at me. His hair was combed to perfection and if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn that he was sparkling like a character from a shojo manga.

“Hm…? Oh! Uhhh...” I hummed as my mind tried to sputter out a response. He gave a short laugh as I shook my head a bit. “Oh... no. I’m actually a third year.” I pulled the hem of my skirt down as I felt the train start to slow down, the wheels of the train groaning. I looked back out the window, then back at him, a frown now on his face.

“That’s not possible. I haven’t seen you around here before.” He said, his arms now crossed in front of him. 

I smiled and laughed. “That wouldn’t surprise me! I just transfered.”

“No wonder. We don’t get too many transfer students here.” He said as he laughed back. 

I pulled my bag off of the floor and into my lap, pulling out a letter of acceptance from one of the side pockets. It was still in the envelope that it came in, the color of it an off-white now that it was handled so much by this point from me taking it out over and over again to reread it. Thankfully it was made of a thicker paper, so it held up. I then handed it to him to read, beaming at him as he looked it over then handed it back to me. 

“Well then, Yunna. I guess I will be seeing you around.” he said as he pulled his suitcase off of the rack above him before exiting the compartment. I was unable to give him a response back before he left, my mind taking a moment to figure out how he knew my name. As I stood up, I slapped the palm of my hand into my forehead, realizing he had gotten my name from my acceptance letter.

The train finally entered the station, students slowly starting to file out onto the platform. With a heavy sigh, I took my first steps toward my new school. Even though it was early April, I clung onto my jacket, shivering even though the last of winter had already disappeared here in Japan and it was now early spring. It was still so cold to me. It was going to take a while to get used to the new weather. The trees were green and swaying in the breeze that chilled me. I did my best to shiver away the cold, now starting to join the rest of the students that walked toward the campus. The large crowd started to break off into smaller groups as friends started to get back together, asking about how their holiday’s went and sharing stories. I clutched at my small suitcase with everything valuable I owned, wheeling it behind me. Thankfully the school wasn’t too far. I tried not to skip, my excitement building up again as I saw the black iron gates. 

I gazed at the academy in front of me, never having seen such a pristine looking school in my life. I was so used to the public schools back in the U.S., so seeing something that was only in pamphlets and books shocked me. But then again, I had also just gotten off my first plane ride into the first country that I had visited other than the one I was born in, so it may just be culture shock in general that was finally hitting me. 

_So… This is Asago Academy._

I thought to myself as I saw the building in front of me was filled with moving figures in its windows. One of the students then pushed a button on the side of the gate, the black metal starting to move aside to open the path. The groups of students then started to make their way inside with me following suit. As the crowd started to break up once more, I stopped in front of the main building, a sigh escaping my lips as I thought back to everything that had happened up to this point, my heart weighing heavy as my hand ran through my cobalt blue hair. I then heard the voice of an old man beckoning first years to come toward him, clusters of them clammering up to him as if they were ducklings and he had bread in his hands. 

“Hey, look at that girl’s hair!” I heard a boy shout from behind me. I turned around, trying to find who had called out. Thankfully it wasn’t too hard to find since the tall boy was pointing in my direction and was a part of a group that was snickering at me. “Blue hair? You have got to be kidding me.” One of the other boys said to the first boy that commented. “Yeah! She must be desperate.” A posh looking boy scoffed. I pushed my glasses back up the bridge of my nose and made a beeline for them. 

_My hair… No one was going to make fun of my hair!_

The gravel crunched loudly as I stomped my way over, growing more livid as I thought of the reason why it was the striking blue it was. But before I could reach them, a group of girls passed in front of me, giving them a chance to walk away. I took a deep, calming breath, urging myself to let the issue go. As I turned around, I noticed a large building looming over me with the words ‘Primrose House’ written on a sign next to the door. 

_It really is like that magic school…_ I thought, a shiver running down my spine as a gust of wind blew by.

I walked closer to the building, an odd feeling settling in my stomach. I noticed a girl with long red hair was staring straight at me. 

_No… she isn’t staring. She is probably just looking for someone._

I walked a bit away from her, her eyes following me as I zig-zagged through students. 

_Nope. She is looking at me._

She then walked to my side, a bright smile showing itself. “You must be my roommate!” She exclaimed, the sheer volume of her voice causing me to jump. She then started to sway side to side as she hummed with glee. 

“Excuse me?” I asked, a confused look on face. 

“Yes! You!” She said, her shrill voice filling my ears. “Let me guess… room 325?”

I take another letter out of my bag that had a list of supplies and my dorm information. I looked at the room number I hadn’t had time to memorize, my mouth gaping a little. 

“Y-y-yeah…” I stammered, looking back up at her. “H-how did you know that?”

She laughed again, putting her hand on her hip as she brushed her hair away from her face. “When I heard that my roommate was going to be a transfer student, I knew you were going to be the reader.”

“Wait… what?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side, thoroughly confused.

“When I saw you out the gate, I knew you were her. I mean, look at your hair!”

I glared at her. _This again? What is with everyone and my hair!?_ I lifted up my glasses as I pinched the bridge of my nose, an annoyed tone tinting my words. “Is there something wrong with my hair?”

Her eager energy then subsided as she gave me a worried expression, only to build back up as she giggled, waving her hands in front of her. “No no no no no! No! It’s great! I didn’t mean anything by it. We are getting off on the wrong foot, aren’t we? Gosh...” She then extended her hand out to me. “I’m Mai Sasaki. You must be Yunna.” 

“Pleasure to meet you, Mai.” I smiled as I shook her hand, bowing my head a little. 

She then put her hand on my shoulder, leading me into the dorms. “All your books are in our room along with your welcome letter. Your name was on the front. Hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s perfectly fine. It saves me some time introducing myself.” I said as I shrugged with one arm.

“Have you checked in with the front office, yet?” she asked, seeing me shake my head. “Good! They usually assign one of the staff members to show transfer students around, but I can give you the tour instead. Did you know we don’t get many transfer students in year three?”

I thought back to the boy on the train. “I might have heard about it…” I mumbled as she then ran the rest of my words over with her own, quickly taking over the conversation.

“Oh, is that the only bag you brought with you? I am so glad that I have another bag with things to decorate with! I already started, so I hope you don’t mind. But I did wait to string the lights. I thought it is something we should do together, you know?” 

She spoke so fast, I could barely nod in agreement. She then opened the door, gratefully walking inside the slightly warmer building. The hallway was brimming with girls, each of them talking to one another with stories of their break, trying to out flaunt the last. It was if they all knew each other. I then followed Mai down the hall and up a few flights of stairs, noticing the pattern of how the hallways were decorated. The walls were all the same flowery pink with white doors lining the narrow hallways, each one tacked with thin gold numbers on the front. 

It was then, I noticed, that Mai was still talking. “You really aren’t missing much when it comes to the campus tour. I mean, Mr. Saitomo does them every year and they are, like, totally dull.” I smile a little as she reminds me of home. “He just drags you around as he explains everything in his weird, squeaky voice of his. I can tell you everything you need to know.” I nod in her direction, mumbling out a small thanks as we finally reached the third floor. 

We then stopped in front of the door marked 325. “Here we are!” Mai said with a flourish, swinging the door open. A waft of potpourri hit me as I noticed the walls were the same color as the cheery pink hallway. The walls were already obscured with posters of boy bands, models, and the odd cat photo or three. There were two of almost everything: two desks, two chairs, two closets, two sets of books. The only set of one was the vanity mirror and the bunk bed. The top bunk was already littered with Mai’s covers and pillows of tastefully clashing patterns. The bottom bunk was bare save for a few scratchy looking covers and a stiff-looking pillow.

I walked over and swung my bag onto the bed, unzipping it to show a mess of cables and rectangular metal and plastic squares. I think I made a face without knowing since Mai gave me a look as she said how she always overpacks and had too many pillows and blankets to use and how it would be okay to use them for myself as she almost buried me in them before organizing them on my bed. “There! That is much better.” she said triumphantly. 

I gave her another small thanks, my shyness taking hold of me. I then took the nest of charging cables and placed it on my desk along with my laptop with its mouse and keyboard, a wired headset,wireless headphones, a tablet, and my phone. I then took out my clothes and hung them in the closet, glad that they didn’t get too wrinkled on the way over. The very last thing I took out was a somewhat flattened stuffed cow, giving it a quick squeeze before putting my bag on the floor and pushing it under my bed. Mai then opened the curtains, the room now filled with the golden light of the sunset. “So, where are you from?” She asked, leaning in as I sat on the bed.

“I used to live in the U.S. before. On the west coast. I lived in the same tiny town all my life. It’s a place called Amity. You probably never heard of it…” I hugged my stuffed cow, Bessie, tighter as I layed on the pillows. 

“Ah… Did you go to a different boarding school or…?” She asked, her hand making a small motion as if for me to continue. I shook my head.

“No, actually. The only school around there was the local public schools. I attended every single school in the same town all my life...” The words sat heavy on me, realizing that I had so little travel experience. 

“Really!?” Mai asked with a surprised look on her face. “What was it like? Were the students mean? Do you have a lot of friends? I only ever went to private schools. I, personally, have traveled around the world. My parents work all the time and I think my dad puts me here just to make it easier on themselves.”

I laughed into Bessie, resting my chin on her head as I replied. “Okay. In order: It was fun despite having many more students than they ever had here. Some of them were mean, but I stayed away from them. I don’t have too many friends and we haven’t talked in ages, but I prefer it that way. And I am sure your parents don’t think that way. They just want the best for you.” I then put Bessie on the bed and walked over to the desk, grabbing the tablet and turning it on. I then swiped over to my photo gallery and started to show her photos of home. 

“Aw… Your family looks so nice.” My commented as she looked at my farewell party photos. 

“Don’t let those two fool you.” I said as I pointed to my twin siblings sandwiching my mother, spotting a pink corner in the picture. I laughed a little as I finished showing my photos. I then heard Mai gasp as she walked to one of the drawers to pull out a string of tiny fairy lights. 

“I almost forgot about these!” She squeaked as she handed me one of the ends. I couldn't help but smile. She was so hyper, I wondered how she could keep it up. I took my end and followed her lead as she walked to one end of the bed as I took the opposite, pinning the lights around the room. Mai then turned the lights on, a twinkling white now brightening up the room. “How was the train ride over?” She asked, looking back at our handywork. “Did you meet anyone?”

“Well, I did meet one guy…” I started to say before she interrupted me. 

“Some guy, huh? Was he cute?”

“We just met on the train. We barely talked and I didn’t get to learn his name.”

Mai pouted. “You have to point him out to me if we see him around campus.”

“Okay. I promise.” I said as my stomach made a large growl. I could feel myself blush as I try and cover my stomach. “Kind of regretting not eating on the plane now…” 

Mai grinned. “That’s okay! Now that we are finished, we can grab some lunch. The food here is really good. There is this ramen shop down the street from campus that is completely out of this world! Thankfully it is still the weekend so we can leave campus being Sunday and all…” She said as she walked toward the window, gazing at the view. “Although I suppose it is a nice day out and that you would want to get food from the caf…” 

She then burst into a giggle fit as she pointed out the window. “Oh, my gosh, Mimi Santos just tripped and fell on her butt! I saw it!” Her smile then faded for a moment. “Oh… wait… is that mean? I probably shouldn’t have… Whatever. Come on, let’s go eat, Yunna!”

_I can already tell we are going to get along swimmingly._

“Good. I’m starving!” I said as she led the way. 

*****************************************************************************************************

We entered a fairly busy cafeteria. I noticed how easy it was to tell the first years from the rest of the student body thanks to their constant looking around. I could sympathise with them, being new myself. I followed Mai fairly closely, taking a plastic tray and looking at the food they served. It was amazing how everything looked so good! It was hard for me to make a decision on what to get. I did my best not to hold up the line or annoy the cafeteria workers. I had finally settled for a plate of some kind of noodle dish with some lemonade. We then found a nice table in the back that wasn’t too crowded. Mai had taken her seat and I sat across from her. That is when I took my first bite of my food, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. 

_This is so good! How is this possible?_

Mai then looked at me, a little concerned. “Are you alright?” She asked, putting her forkful of food down. 

“Mnn-hm.” I nodded as I savored the flavor, already going for another bite. I couldn’t tell if it was just from not eaten anything in eight hours or if it was really that good. Another girl that was next to us started waving at Mai.

“Hey, Mai. How was your break?” 

“It was good. I went to Spain and Italy. My dad almost sprained his ankle from crashing his ski jet. Thankfully it was insured!”

“Oh… that’s nice!”

I continued to eat as the girl then turned back to her group of friends. Mai then turned back to me, attacking her own food as she started to recall her adventures over the break. I listened happily to her. I was never really one for trying to keep a conversation going. And her story about how her short romance with a boy she had met during her travels gave me a few ideas on what to write for my next short story. Although it did go into a little too much detail. She was so bright and animated as she talked. I couldn’t help but to absorb every word as I ate. Her voice was sweet like a birds except for when she tried to imitate people. Mai wasn’t very good at it. 

She then started another story on how she had walked in on a friend’s brother while he was changing when a shimer caught my eye. Sure enough, it was the boy I saw on the train. And of course I had to be mid-bite when it happened. 

“Mnn!” I grunted as I waved my hand in front of her to get her attention, now tilting my head in his direction. 

“What is it, Yunna?” Mai asked, wondering what had gotten me in such a fuss.

I finally swallowed my food, eyeing the familiar green jacket. “It’s the boy I met on the train.”

“Huh? Who?” She asked before turning in the direction where I was looking. “Jared?”

“If you are talking about the guy with the jacket and chestnut colored hair, yeah.”

I then started to panic as he walked in our direction after picking up his tray, as if he picked up on someone talking about him.

_Shoot. I said it too loud, didn’t I? I need to learn how to whisper…_

“Oh, it’s you...” he said, grinning. My heart skipped a beat when I realized he was addressing me. “Yunna! We met on the train. How are you settling in?”

I closed my eyes as I smiled, not wanting another sparkle attack so soon. “I’m doing great. My roommate, Mai, has been doing a great job of helping me out. Isn’t that right?”

It was then I noticed how starstruck Mai was… along with the rest of the cafeteria. They were all looking at us now. It was an odd sensation. Everyone had stopped eating just to look at the three of us. A look of bewilderment painted my face for a moment before my attention went back to… Jared, was it?

“Well, if you need any help, I’ll be around. Third year, right?” He asked, the attention not phasing him in the least. I nodded. “I have some friends that are in that year. They can’t compare to me of course, but I will be sure to give them a heads up to look out for you.” He then blinded me with his smile again and winked. “It’s the least I can do for a cute girl, like you.”

I laughed at the idea of me being cute, smiling back at Jared as I poked Mai’s arm. “I really appreciate that. Thanks.”

“Well, I’ll see you around.” He said as he walked toward a table of guys who were all wearing the same jacket.

Mai then finally snapped out of her stupor as her eye contact finally broke away from him. “Th-that’s Jared.” She stammered, “The most handsome guy in school. I can’t believe he looked at me...” That was when I noticed Mai’s cheeks were painted a playful pink.

“I guess.” I shrugged as I took another bite, obviously not impressed. “Why are they all wearing those jackets? Aren’t they supposed to be wearing the school blazer?”

“No, they are allowed.” Mai started off, “They are…”

“You know Jared?” the girl from earlier chimed in, now looking at me with sudden interest. It was pretty obvious what she was aiming for. I then noticed the rest of the room also listening in on us. Why are they all so surprised? This was becoming very silly, very quickly. 

“Sorry.” I said as I polished off the last of my plate. “I have no idea who he is.”

“Oh.” The girl said, looking me up and down before huffing away.

_I wouldn’t tell you even if I DID know him._

“Don’t mind Mimi.” Mai said as she leaned towards me.

“Yeah, I know she was just trying to get in with me. She wasn’t being very subtle about it. I don’t know what for, though...”

“Well, you asked about why those guys wear those jackets, right?” Mia asked, finishing her own food, save for dessert. “Those are their Normal Boots Club jackets.”

_Normal Boots Club? Is that a band?_

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a club we have here at the school It is like, an exclusive club made up of only the coolest students on campus. They play video games… or something”

My attention was finally peaked, listening in closely to her explanation now.

“That one is Jon, also known as ‘JonTron’. The bird on his shoulder is called Jacques. Jon is also the drama club president.” Mai started to explain, pointing each boy out. “Next to him is PBG. He and Jon helped found the Normal Boots Club together. He is also a star player on the soccer team. Then that one is Jirard. People call him The Completionist because of his obsession with finishing things to completion. He has the biggest collection of Itty Bitty Kitty figurines that I have ever seen! Over there is Jared, also known as ProJared. He’s a model. Then there is Satchbag, but everyone just calls him Satch. He is super crazy smart. Those three are Paul, Nick, and Josh. They all run a column in the school newspaper called ‘Continue?’. Paul, the one standing up, is also the school president. And the guy on the end is Shane, who knows more about video games than anyone else I have ever known...ever.” Mai then stared longingly into her baked potato. 

“So…” I started off casually, not wanting to create too much of a fuss. “How does one… um… join… the Normal Boots Club?”

“You don’t choose the Boots, Yunna. The Boots choose you.”

“Great. They are super selective.” I said as I smooshed my cheek against the cool table. “And what do you mean ‘The Boots choose’ me? Do the guys vote or something?”

“No. The club has this boots statue. It’s kind of like the one’s on their patches, but gold plated. It’s like their mascot, I guess?” Mai pondered. “They do this weird initiation ritual with it.”

“Kind of an odd thing for a mascot to be, don’t you think? Wait… ritual?”

Mai grinned. “I heard that they fill a room with candles and walk around with creepy robes on during it. I heard from a girl in year two that she saw them chanting this weird chant while walking around The Boots as if they were talking backwards. I don’t believe her, but even if it was true I wouldn’t care because they are so hot!”

“I guessing that they are pretty popular too…” I said as I rolled my eyes, losing interest again.

“Yeah, they have tons of friends. They are the most popular kids in school. I mean, everyone looks up to them, you know? I bet that they can get any girl they want in school.” She said, giving me a sly wink. “Or any boy, for that matter.”

I sat up as she then started to devour her cake, talking about Jared between frosting coated bites and leaving me to play with my fork as I waited for her to finish.

*****************************************************************************************************

We headed back to the dorm when Mai was finally satisfied. I started to organize my books on my desk to make room for my laptop, setting it up with the keyboard in front and the mouse on the right side. I booted it up, entered my password, and waited for Skaip and my other programs to start up. I then sorted through my books, making sure I had all the ones on my list. Mai was scribbling down something in one of her notebooks as if her life depended on it, curling over it as if it was a secret treasure. My laptop then started to play a loud ringing that was distinct to Skaip. The screen showed a picture of brown haired twins, sticking their tongues out. I clicked the green answer button, adjusting the angle of the screen so the camera on top would have a good view of the room. 

“Hey, sis!” the two of them said as I smiled, waving back at them as I continued to adjust the screen. 

“Hello, my little monsters. Didn’t I tell you guys that you were not allowed to use my computer while I was away?” I teased them, smiling at them despite the sneer in my voice.

“Don’t worry.” a third voice said, a mop of pink hair now leaning into the screen, “I’ll make sure they don’t mess with anything. They really wanted to see you.”

“Hana!” I shouted, watching her now place herself between the two boys. “I hope you are not letting them run amok. My Mom needs all the help she can get.”

It was at this point Mai had gotten curious on who I was talking to, now looking in my direction. I started to wave her over, wanting her to share the conversation with her. 

“How are you setting in?” the twin on the left asked. “Yeah! Is it cold over there?” the one on the right chimmed. 

“Aaron, I am doing fine. My roommate really helped me out. And Denis, it is cold. I am going to have to wear my warmer clothes for a while.” I watched as the two of them pout, mad that I had told them apart again. I laughed, Mai now walking over to me. “Mai, this is my two baby brothers and Hana. Mai gasped as she saw Hana. “I know. We look like twins with different colored hair, don’t we?”

“‘Look like’? You two look exactly the same!” She shouted, constantly doing double takes at the screen, then at me. “Are you related?”

I shook my head. “No. It was just by accident. We met at the interview for the scholarship here.”

“Oh, really?” Mai pondered. “I am guessing Hana didn’t get it?”

“That’s right.” Hana said, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Although it didn’t turn out too badly… It turns out there was a student exchange program at her school and Yunna’s mother agreed to take me in.”

“That is totally crazy!” Mai said, scooting in closer to the camera.

“I know, right!?” Aaron said, now leaning into the camera. “It’s like we have another sister now!” said Denis. 

“Um… guys, I am going to have to cut the call short. I’m missing one of my textbooks.” I said, triple checking my list now. “I’ll be sure to call back later tonight.”

“But you are forgetting the time difference… the boys will be in bed by then.” My mother said as she walked into the room, now pulling away the twins from the screen. “You should have told me you were calling her…” Hana, Mai, and I laughed.

“It was nice meeting you!” Mai said as she gave a short wave to the camera before sitting back down at her desk. 

“Same here! Maybe we can talk more later. You seem like a really nice person.” Hana said as she waved back. “Hope you get your book soon.”

“Thanks, Hana. Bye!” I then clicked on the red ‘x’, ending the call. I then picked up my book list and turned to Mai. “Do you know where I can get my History 309 textbook?”

“They have a bunch in the library.” Mai said as she was now focused back on her notebook. “You can probably check one out there.”

“Where is the library?”

Mai then turned to the back of her notebook, writing something down. She then ripped the page out, handing me what looked like a map. I muttered out a thanks as I shutdown my laptop and grabbed my freshly charged phone, heading out the door.

*****************************************************************************************************

I had gotten lost when I had followed the map, mistaking one of the buildings for another. By the time I found it, the sun was already starting to set. I was relieved when the door opened as I pulled, walking into the biggest library I have ever seen in my life. The walls were covered from top to bottom with books of every shape as size, causing me to force myself not to start fangirling right then and there. I happily made my way over to the front desk. A recognizably green and gray jacket was bent behind the counter. 

“Excuse me.” I said in my softest voice, “Can you help me?”

The boy jolted, hitting his head on the counter. 

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” I said as I flinched, watching as he stood straight, his glasses slightly skewed with dust now on his dark skin. 

“It’s okay. I didn’t hit it too hard.” He said as he rubbed the top of his head, straightening his frames. “Can I help you?”

“Uh… yes! I’m missing one of my textbooks the school was supposed to give me. I was told I could get it here?”

“Which one is it?”

“The History 309 book.”

He then walked from behind the counter and motioned for me to follow. We walked between the isles, my eyes darting around as I glanced at each bookcase. 

“My name is Satchbag, but you can call me Satch. You’re new here, right?”

“Hm? Yeah. I am.” 

“I thought so.”

We both became silent for a moment.

“So… you work at the library?”

He chuckled, now realizing how silly that question was.

“Yeah. I’m the librarian’s assistant. It’s my second year and I love it.I get to help people find books that speak to them.” he said as his eyes filled with life one could only get when speaking about their favorite subject. “Your book is right down here.”

We then stopped at a row of thick, dusty books and pulled out one with a man in a powdered wig that looked like he had eaten something he wasn’t fond of. 

“Thanks for your help.”

“No problem. Anything else I can help you with?”

I thought for a moment, glancing around.

“I suppose you wouldn’t have a book recommendation for me, would you?”

“I think I would have something you would like…”

Having my main order of business taken care of, I started to relax. Even though neither of us were talking, there was a sense of warmth around us. Like hugging a warm blanket that came out of the dryer on a cold day. As we got closer to the front desk, we passed a cluster of students studying. One of them shifted as we passed.

“AH!”

A white object flew by, instinct now taking over. I was able to dodge it by an inch. I then looked down to see a paper airplane at my feet. I bend over to pick it up, careful to keep the back of my skirt down. I felt more weight than I expected, looking at the inside of it and spotting a large coin I didn’t recognize inside of it. It was about the size of a quarter. I turned in the direction on which it flew toward me, now seeing it came from the students we passed and spotting the pristine looking posh boy that poked fun at my hair earlier this morning with some of his other cronies. I started to walk toward them, my anger already building as I went to confront them. 

“Why did you do that?” I asked, biting back my volume.

“Eh? What do you mean?” Asked one boy. “We were just messing around.” Said another. “Are you suggesting we did it?” The posh boy said, a grin on his face as if he was going to get away with it.

I paused. I know the game they were playing. If I said the wrong thing, they could twist my words around. 

“No. I just wanted to know if you did do it…” I said slowly. One of the boys then extended his hand out to me, expecting me to hand the paper over. I was tempted to take the coin and pocket it before tossing the plane at them as they did at me. But before I could, I felt a warm hand clasp over mine, taking the paper from me. Satch then examined the paper.

“I see what the problem is.” Satch said, now pointing at one of the corners. “Your aim would be better if you cut the corners before you folded it.” He then placed the paper on the table, the boys staring at him in pure awe.My anger was directed at him for a moment before he said “Be careful, though. You almost hit her and that would have been awful.”

I then glared back at the boys, waiting for them to backtalk him. But they didn’t.

“Jeez, we’re sorry.” Said one of the boys, sincerity in his voice, “We will be careful next time.”

“Yeah. It was an accident.” The posh boy said, looking regretful.

“Thanks! I appreciate it.” Satch said with a wide smile as he then turned around, giving them a wave before walking to the front desk again.

_Wow… they must respect him a lot to apologize like that…_

I rattled my brain for a way to thank him, tilting my head to the side as he was scanning my book. 

“So, what kind of books do you like to read?” He asked, looking up at me from behind a computer screen.

“I like fiction mostly. As for genre, I like a little of everything but fantasy is my favorite.”

He chucked. “I just finished a book that I think I may be right up your alley.” He then pulled up a thick green book with a man in black and woman in royal robes hugging.

“Oh! I know this one! _The Princess Betrothed_ , right? I love this book.” I said as I smiled, happy to know another person who had read the book and not just watched the movie. “I have a copy on my tablet.”

“Ah…” Satch said, a little disappointed. “Well, I know things can be tough transferring to a new school. I thought maybe you could have read this and be whisked a million miles away from it all…”

“That’s okay… I might just take it anyway. A tablet is nice, but a book doesn’t need to be recharged… Thank you… for more than the books” I blushed, having never heard anything sweeter in my life.

“You’re welcome-” He started out, pausing as he scanned the textbook. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”

“I’m Yunna Readman, and I just transferred here from the U.S. for third year.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Yunna. I hope that your time here will be a great one.”

“Thanks. I will!”

_That was really nice of him. He was so kind. And the way he saved me back there… It was like a knight, protecting me… Oh, what am I doing? I need to head back._

I took the straightest way out of the library, trying to keep both books balanced on one arm as I opened the door.

*****************************************************************************************************

I walked back into my room, placing my textbook with the others on my desk. Mai was still sitting at hers, scratching her pencil away on her notebook and making various grunting noises. She would occasionally sigh, making it hard for me to concentrate on re-reading _The Princess Betrothed_. I bookmarked my page as I sat on my bed, leaning towards Mai. 

“What’s wrong, Mai? Writer’s Block?”

“Who said anything about Writer’s Block? I’m not writing anything!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t… I mean.... You know what, nevermind. What’s bothering you?”

She sighed once more. “I hope Jared notices me this year.”

_Great. It’s a girl dilemma._

I rolled my eyes a little. “Does Jared know you like him?”

Mai pretended to be shocked, a hand on her chest as she gasped loudly. “I _don’t_ like Jared!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said, doing my best to sound sarcastic, but knowing me, it wasn’t working, “I meant to say ‘Does Jared know you _love_ him?” I couldn’t help but grin as I teased her. 

“Yunna!” She shouted, grabbing the closest pillow and chucking it at me. We both had a giggle fit. 

After setting down a bit, I decided to continue where we left off. “Well, have you ever tried talking to him before?”

“No… I mean… I have before…”

“Earlier today doesn’t count.”

“Yunna…”

“Look, try and talk to him properly this time?”

Mai shifted her weight from side to side, as if she needed to think on the subject. “Yeah… maybe I could do that…”

“No, you are. You can’t sit back and hope Sempai notices you. Just go for it! What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Yeah… You’re right…” she said, now settling back down in her chair. “Hey, have you ever had a boyfriend before?”

“No.” I said flatly. “It hasn’t happened yet…”

“Really? Never?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I have had my share of crushes. They just never panned out…” I said with a hint of sadness in my voice. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.”

Mai laughed as she said “I bet you 10,000 yen that you will meet a totally cute boy here and fall in love by the end of the school year.”

There was a pause for a moment before I started to walk over to my desk. “I’ll take on that bet.” I said as I booted my laptop, opening a word processor program and started to type furiously. 

“What are you doing?” Mai asked as she looked over my shoulder.

“What does it look like? I’m writing a contract.”

“I wasn’t serious about it!”

“Too late!” I said as I pushed the enter key, sending the document to my phone. I then pulled it open in an app and signed my name. “The deed is done. Are you in or not?”

Mai then looked at my phone, then to me, then my phone again. 

“You’re on!” She then took her finger and signed her name, making the document official. She then turned her attention to her notebook, leaving me alone for the rest of the night.

*****************************************************************************************************

**As if I can fall in love by the end of the year. A crush, maybe. But love? Love is to hard to come by. Sorry, Mai, but I am probably going to win this bet.**


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna has made it to her second day! How will she fair?

I woke up to the sun hitting me square in the face and the soft humming coming from Mai, rubbing the morning from my eyes as she fiddled with her bag and school supplies. I fought to get up, my body wanting to go back to sleep despite it being the first day of school. 

_Stupid jetlag…_

“Yunna, you are finally awake! Did you know your slept right through your alarm? It went off at five this morning.” Mai said, cheerily.

“Looks like someone is a morning person....” I commented as I stood and stretched out my body, feeling my neck pop. “Mind lending me some of that energy?”

“But it’s the first day of school! Aren’t you excited?”

“Well, now that I think about it…”

“I can’t wait to see what is gonna happen.”

“What do you mean?” I asked through my shirt. “Does something special happen on the first day of school here?”

“Hehehehe… Something strange always happens on the first day of school. Especially to someone like you.” she said as she winked.

I had just finished dressing, now adjusting my glasses on my face, relieved to have the world back in focus. “What do you mean ‘someone like me’? Just because I am a transfer student doesn’t mean that anything odd will happen.”

“You know what I mean.” She said as she patted my shoulder.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror, brushing my blue hair from its previously messy state. 

_This is so different… I don’t have to worry about making breakfast or walking the monsters to school…_

“Oh!” I heard Mai exclaim suddenly.

I turned in her direction, my brush still in my hair. “What? What is it?” 

“You look so _cute_!”

I tried to hold back my laughter, and failed. “R-really?”

“Yes!” Mai said as she looked into the mirror from behind me. “Your hair almost matches the uniform. It’s as if you were trying to match the school.”

“T-thanks…” I said as I felt my tears prickling my eyes as I thought of the reason why I dyed my hair again, putting the textbooks I needed for the day into my bag.I had started to rub the tears from my eyes when Mai asked me if there was anything wrong. I shook my head. “No, nothing is wrong. I was just thinking about something that happened a while ago.”

Mai’s signature laugh filled the room.

_Why is Mai laughing for n-_

_WHACK_

I felt my body now suddenly push forward, my mind not yet processed the amount of force that had just been asserted onto the small of my back.

“You will do just fine.” Mai said as she looked at me from the mirror.

I turned my head to look straight at her. “You really don’t know your own strength, do you?”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind…”

I stretched out my back, feeling a few more bones pop, making me sigh out of painful relief. That is when I noticed Satch’s book on my bedside table. 

_I might as well take it with me. I can always carry my tablet around..._

Thankfully, since I didn’t need to carry around extra notebooks, there was enough room for it in my bag. 

“You ready?” Mai asked, her bag in her hand.

“Sure am!” I replied, grabbing my tablet on the way out the door.

“Just stick with me and you will do fine.” Mai said as she opened the door, the two of us now joining the flow of girls that filled the hallway. The smells that meshed together were nice. Like a giant fruit salad. We had just taken a few steps out when the girl from the cafeteria, Mimi, walked over to us. 

“I didn’t know we lived on the same floor!” Mimi said, a smile on her lips.

“No way!” Mai replied “That’s awesome! Now we’ll be able to catch up! Whatever happened to you and…”

It was then I started to drift a little bit behind them, lazily following along just far away enough to let them talk. As we turned to walk down the stairs, I found myself being surrounded by the majority of the girls I didn’t know. 

“Wow! He turned out to be a real jerk!” I heard Mai exclaim as I did my best to keep up now.

It took me a moment to start panicking. I knew that if I lost Mai, I would probably be late to class. I started to scan the crowd to find her familiar red-head of hers. Even though I was an average height, it did not help me much when everyone else was in the same uniform. As I walked down the last flight of stairs, I saw a shimmer of red in my peripheral vision, 

“Mai?” I asked as I tapped the girl on her shoulder, not expecting the static shock that zapped me. “OW!”

“Who… are you?” She asked, her eyes sparking almost as if there was electricity running through them.

“Oh. I’m sorry! I thought you were someone else… And sorry if I shocked you. I tend to be a magnet when it comes to static electricity...”

She simply turned around and continued on her way. 

I then found myself in front of Primrose House, the rest of the girls still filtering out of the dorm and chatting away as they made their way to class. I couldn’t see or hear Mai anywhere.

“That’s just great…” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck, looking around.

_Okay. You are on a campus you are not familiar with and without a map. It’s okay. You just need to find a teacher or someone else that goes here…_

I then pull out my class schedule from my backpack, looking it over. Homeroom in 206 Poppy Hall. I picked a direction and started to walk, hoping that I had picked the right way. As a third year, no one would know who I was. I grimaced at my paper as I walked, now realizing I was completely and totally lost.

“Hey, you okay?” I heard someone ask, “You look a little lost.”

“Only a little?” I asked back as I froze on the spot, laughing nervously. I then turned around to see a Normal Boots Club jacket. Who was he again? I remember Mai saying he was a founding member. JonTron?

“Well, okay, yeah, you look really lost.” he said as he gave the bird on his shoulder a little pet.

“Yeah. I’m pretty new here. Can you show me where Poppy Hall is?”

“You a freshman? No problem! My class is in Poppy Hall, I’ll walk you there!”

“Really? You’re the best! Thank you!”

He began to walk toward one of the larger brick buildings in a way that I can only describe as enthusiastic, pumping his arms up and down in a somewhat cartoony manner to a beat all of his own. I ended up following the same beat in my own, shy manner. Now that I was closer to him, I noticed a few things I didn’t when Mai first pointed him out. He had big, brown eyes and a warm feeling about him. I had to stop myself from daydreaming about petting the top of his head like I would a puppy. As I did, I turned to look at him, only to become face to face with two, perfectly round black eyes blink at me.

“Eep!” 

“Is something wrong? Why did you stop?”

“Sorry…” I apologized. “I wasn’t expecting to see…”

He followed my gaze to his shoulder. “Oh! This is Jacques. Ain’t he cute?”

 _”Nice to meet you.”_ Jacques said, his eyes glowing red as he spoke, making me jump back.

“Did that bird just talk? I’m not going crazy, am I?”

“Yeah, he can talk. And no, you are not going crazy.” Jon said as he extended his hand to his shoulder, Jacques jumping into it. “Jacques is a robot bird, see?”

_”Hello.”_

I took a closer look, now noticing how the birds eyes looked as if they were made of glass. Otherwise, it looks just like a normal bird. Maybe the eyes lit up with LEDs? 

“That’s really cool! You are quite a feat of technology, aren’t you?”

Jacques tilted his head to the side, looking at me as if he was trying to stare into my soul, making me look away. 

_”What are **YOU** looking at?”_

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to stare…” I said shyly.

“Oh, yeah. Jacques can be a little sassy at times.”

_”Who are you calling sassy? I’m not the sassy one. I don’t forget to feed **YOU**.”_

“Wait… how does a robot bird eat?” I asked, only to have my question ignored as they began to squabble.

“Jacques, that was only one time!”

_”I was alone and starving in the frozen tundra of this empty world. Loveless. Afraid.”_

“Ignore him. I’ve been bringing him with me to the drama club, and he has taken a little too well to it.”

_”I see. Shut me out as if I have nothing to add to the conversation.”_

“Uh… Guys? Can we get to class now?” I asked, Jacques now walking up Jon’s arm and retaking his perch, now facing away from us. I felt a little guilty now as we resumed our walk toward Poppy hall.

“I’m JonTron, by the way. Call me Jon.”

“Yunna. Nice to meetcha.” 

“Yunna? That’s a cute name.”

“Heh-heh. Thank you. So, how long have you and Jacques been together?”

“Since middle school. We’ve been together for about four years now. Ain’t that right?”

_”I’m not listening.”_

“Sheesh, edgelord, much?” I commented.

“Yeah, well…” Jon said as he shrugged just enough to get the point across, “I love him to death. I wouldn’t know what I would do without him.”

I shrugged back. I wouldn’t know what it would be like to have a pet since I was always so busy taking care of my brothers, but I guessed it would be just the same. We then arrived at one of the brick buildings. This one happened to be covered in poppies, the sign reading Poppy Hall.

_I should have guessed._

“Which room are you in?” Jon asked.

“Room 206.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded.

“That’s my homeroom! We’re in the same class!” Jon laughed as he clasped me on the shoulder lightly. “Wonderful! Guess I’ll be seeing more of you then, right?”

I nodded again. We then proceed to enter Poppy Hall.

I stepped inside, feeling like I had yet again walked into a tv show or a movie, seeing Asago-blue lockers lining the hallways with doors every few feet, the lack of students signaling how late we were. We both ran up the stairs and barely cleared the door as the bell rang throughout the building. I breathed hard, now missing how almost every classroom was build on the ground floor back home. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, the students talking in small groups.

“Thanks again for showing me the way to class, Jon. Without you, I would probably still be wandering around.”

“No problem. I’ll see ya around.” He said as he waved, now wiggling into the mass of students around us. I looked around to find a spot for me to sit.

“Yunna!” Mai said as she flagged me down, seeing an empty seat next to her. “Was that JonTron? Were you just talking to JonTron?” I nodded as her eyes widened, not really seeing what the big deal was.

“I got really lost when we got separated.” I shrugged, “I just happened to bump into him and he offered to show me the way to class.”

Mai then released a squeal only a fellow fangirl like me could take.

“ _JonTron walked you to class!?_ Oh my gosh. You have to tell me everything!” she said as she took my bag and put it on the empty desk, urging me to sit down. The sun warmed my skin as I sat closest to the window that was farthest from the front.

“Thanks for saving me a seat.” I said as I started to unload my books into my desk.

“Sorry we got separated.” Mai apologized, “It can get chaotic at times…”

“Don’t worry about it. At least there is only a few hundred students here and not a few thousand.” I said as I waved it off.

Mai then smiled as she stared me down. “So tell me, what happened? What did he say? What did he smell like? Does he have peach fuzz? Is it soft?”

“Uhhh....” was the only sound that escaped from my mouth, a bit flabbergasted on how she can ask such personal questions I would never even think about. 

“These are important questions I am asking, Yunna. You _need_ to answer them. Was his hair the texture of a dog’s coat or was it super silky.”

_How would I know about any of that!? We just met!_

Before I could speak my mind, the door swung open, the teacher strolling up to her desk. And as if she had cast a spell, the students quieted down and took their seats. At my old school, it would have taken at least ten minutes if a teacher did the exact same thing. I then watched as she then picked up a piece of chalk, brushing her long, brown hair out of her eyes.

“Good morning, class.” She said in an authoritarian manner. Her voice almost sounded like she was singing when she normally spoke. “I am your teacher, Shizuka Wakahisa. You may call me _Miss_ Shizuka.” 

I could already tell by her straining the ‘Miss’ that she was one of those teachers that wants to be called their proper title. 

“Some of you may have noticed that we have a new transfer student joining us this semester.” she said, causing a wave of murmuring to spread among the students, a couple of them looking in my direction. “Would you like to introduce yourself?” 

_Were some really that non-observant? I am the only one here with blue hair that I have seen._

I nodded as I stood from my desk, walking up to the front of the classroom. I then turned on the spot in front of her desk and picked a point across the room. Not looking straight at anyone, but giving the illusion that I was looking at everyone. I took a moment to breath before I started my introduction only to be distracted with a few familiar faces. 

There was Jon sitting with a few other boys that had the same Normal Boots Club jackets that I haven’t met. The tallest one was looking at me with a somewhat sad face, his brows knitted together in thought. If I remember correctly from Mai’s lecture from the other day, he was PBG. He was the easiest one to remember. The other founder of the club. 

_Why was he looking at me like that? Maybe his is mistaking me for someone else?_ I thought, not realizing how much time was passing before Ms. Shizuka spoke again.

“You came from the United States, right?”

I trained my eyes back to the previous spot I chose, taking another deep breath before I took a bow in front of the class, hoping my glasses wouldn’t fall off.

“Yes. I used to live in California before moving here. My name is Yunna Readman and it is a pleasure to meet you all. I transferred here from Amity High School. I am so happy I have the opportunity to go to school here in Japan. Especially somewhere as prestigious as this. I am looking forward to our time together here.”

I then raised my head, seeing Mai giving me two thumbs up. I wasn’t expecting any kind of applause, but they had clapped politely. My gaze then drifted to PBG, now looking thoroughly confused. I made a note to try and talk to him later.

“Thank you, Yunna. You make take your seat.”

“Thank you, Ms. Shizuna.” I said as I walked back to my desk. I smiled, proud of how well my introduction had went despite me freezing up the first few seconds.

Ms.Shizuna then started to go over what every other teacher went over on the first day of class: the rules of the classroom, the syllabus, what is expected of students, homework due dates, and so on. I typed out various bits of information on my tablet, knowing I would forget them if I didn’t. But as I did, I felt someone staring at me. I looked up just in time to catch PBG turning to face the blackboard, pretending he wasn’t looking. The lecture then finished, the bell signaling lunchtime. 

“Uuuuuuuuuugh…” I heard Mai groan as she stretched and yawned, seconding the motion with my own stretching from my seat. “I hate the first day of class! It is always so boring.”

“It’s not the first day that is the worst, it’s the second.” I chimmed in, standing up from my chair and stretching out my legs. “You still have that exciting thing that is supposed to happen, right?”

“Well, yeah, but that already happened.” She said as she turned to me. “You met JonTron, didn’t you? Now I have nothing to look forward to… I didn’t even get to see Jared before class..”

“Me meeting a popular kid doesn’t make it special, Mai.” I said as I rolled my eyes. She then proceeded to cover the entirety of my desk as she slouched. It seemed that she will be doing this more then I want her to. “You have really fallen for Jared, didn’tcha?”

Mai then stood as straight as an arrow, looking at me as if her eyes were ablaze. I could feel the heat from where I stood. “What did you say?” She asked, wondering if she was ready for a fight.

I glanced away from her for a moment, unable to find any words to retaliate.

“If you stare at him directly for too long, your nose will melt off. I’ve seen it happen.” She said, making me nod a little just to give her some sort of affirmation that I had heard her. Her mood then brightened again. “Anyways, let’s get lunch. I’m super hungry!”

I was about to nod again when I looked at my bag, seeing how it was still full of textbooks despite me emptying a few in my desk. That is when I remembered that this school actually supplied lockers for each student. It was a bit exciting for me. “I’ll meet you there. I want to put a few things in my locker first.” I said a little too zestful, Mai giving me an odd glance before whining about how they would run out of sesame-seed buns. “Well, you better hurry then!”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead. I’ll meet up with you later then. Be sure and find me.” she said as she zoomed out of the classroom, making me giggle. 

_I’m not the only one who likes their food around here._

I calmly walked up to my locker, pulling out the paper that taught me how to unlock it. 

_Nine to the left, twenty five to the right, Five to the left…_

_CLICK_

_Yes! First try!_

I then put whatever textbooks I had left into the bottom shelf, the book Satch had let me borrow still in my hands. It was nice having someone to talk to in class for once in my life, but I really wanted to read my book too. I placed it with the others, deciding on taking it out again after lunch. I then turned to head out the door, in a much better mood.

*****************************************************************************************************

I had finally picked out a melon bread and a few dozen little things I wanted to try, now carefully sifting through the many clusters of people. I did my best to keep an eye out for Mai’s familiar red hair. I couldn’t find her anywhere and I couldn’t find a good seat. I was about to give up and walk outside to eat my lunch until I saw a lone boy sitting in one of the front tables by himself. 

He was stabbing at a plate of spaghetti with the most commanding vigor. I casually walked closer to him, planning on asking if it was okay to sit at his table. That was when I noticed he was trying to eat it with a spoon.

That was when the spark of recognition hit me. He was in the same class as me. He sat up in the front where I would have sat if the room was empty. He was also wearing a jacket, but it was black and gold with a patch of a gold colored block with a question mark on it’s front instead. Is it a different club?

“Excuse me…” I started to ask before I heard Mai shouting my name. I turned to her, smiling. “Oh! There you are. I have been looking everywhere for you.” 

The boy glanced at the two of us before he resumed spoon-poking his spaghetti again.

“Thank goodness I found you!” Mai exclaimed, now pushing me away from the table. “I got us a table in the back.” I mumbled out an okay before I finally gave into her pushing.

“What’s the rush?” I asked, finally arriving at the table. 

“You are _so_ lucky I got there when I did. That kid is BrutalMoose - his real name is Ian. He is from the Hidden Block Club.”

“The Hidden Block Club…” I said slowly, simply wanting to eat my melon bread.

“Yeah. They are the rival club of Normal Boots. He is really weird, I mean…” She then motioned for me to lean toward her, looking around to make sure no one was listening in on us. Like she was about to divulge a huge secret. “He speaks in _Comic Sans_ ”

“You mean he talks like what most people thinks Snas from Overtale sounds like?” I asked, Mai shaking her head. 

“Nevermind…” she said, avoiding my question. “It’d be better if you stayed away from him - especially since you’ve already gotten to know some of the Normal Boots Club members…”

“Why should that matter? We all attend the same school! There is no need for useless hatred. I mean, I get it if they were from different schools, but this is absurd!” I said as I moodily took a bite of my bread, not really tasting it. “They should just be rivals, not enemies… Besides, I only met Jon today. We aren’t even friends. The most I can say is that we are acquaintances...”

Mai just gave me a look. “Okay! Sorry! I didn’t mean to hit a nerve.”

I snapped out of my sudden melancholy. “Oh… sorry. Drama like that is a touchy subject for me…” 

“Besides…” Mai started off with a grin. “PBG was staring at you all day. He totally likes you!”

“I highly doubt that…” I said as I took the last bite of my bread, wondering how I had eaten it all so fast.

“Oh, totally! It was so cute! Just like my favorite manga - you meet in high school, fall in love, then you two will go off and fight aliens together!”

“Do I get to transform like a magical girl or are we going to be piloting a giant robot together with our minds?”

“Are… you being sarcastic?” 

“No! I’m being completely sincere! Haven’t you ever wanted to be a magical girl or ride a robot?”

Mai laughed. “Well, at least you have some faith in yourself. I bet either of those will happen.”

“I want a kitty to be my talking animal companion…” I added at the end, my mind going into daydream mode for a moment before Mai pulled me back to earth.

“So… now that you’re in good with PBG… can you introduce me to Jared?”

“Okay, seriously? We haven’t even spoken two words and you expect me to do that? Besides, his staring was more out of discontent than anything else...”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Why would you think that?”

“I donno! It’s just the vibe I got…”

“Man, you just don’t understand. It’s a love triangle, _a love triangle!_ ”

“Wait... who is the third person!?”

“I can see it…” 

Mai then got into a position that clearly showed that she was playing out what she was dreaming up in her head. Her eyes started to fill up with stars. 

“ _’PBG, I can’t!’ ‘But Yunna… I… love you…’ ‘But… My Maidenhood...’_ ”

I could feel myself doing red, almost climbing over the table as my arms flailed in front of me. 

“Okayenoughofthatweclearlydon’tneedtohearanythingelseyoucanstopnowMaiplezMaishtop!” 

Mai looked pleased with herself. “Okay, okay! I was just kidding. Oh my gosh, you look so cute when you get flustered like that! It makes your hair stand out even more.”

“Did you seriously have to pitch your idea for a fanfic right now?” I then covered my flushed face, my hands smudging up the lenses of my glasses, a muffled ‘Maiiiiiiiii!’ escaping my hands, my mind going down a dark path. Thankfully that was enough to get her on a different topic. 

“Wh-what? No it wasn’t! I just made it up on the spot.” Mai laughed nervously. “Anyway, that girl I was talking to me when we got separated…” She then proceeded to tell me about her past-friendship with a girl that she now considered an eternal arch-nemesis. I wouldn’t blame her considering the circumstances of their falling out. I felt myself finally relax again, nibbling on the other snacks I had bought as Mai finished her own meal. 

We then got up to throw away our trays, but Mai hesitated. “Hey, I forgot something at the dorm. I’m just going to go get it…”

“Okay then. I’ll see you back in class.” I said happily, already forgetting about the conversation we had earlier.

I took a deep breath as I waved, watching as Mai ran back to Primrose House. I then turned in the direction of Poppy Hall, thankful that I wasn’t going to get lost this time. Various groups of students were milling about or were finishing their lunch, the day much warmer than the one I arrived. It must be nice to socialize in a group like that. Too bad I never had the chance to do that myself with my busy family life and all. I smiled. 

_It is weird having time just for myself now. I kind of don’t know what to do..._

My footsteps echoed in the vacant hallways, giving off a somewhat unsettling aura, the tapping of me climbing the stairs filled the building. I then arrive at the fourth floor, walking over to my locker and taking out the book Satch lent me. I smiled as I looked at the cover. I then opened the door and let myself into the classroom. It was so odd that they would leave the door unlocked like that. Japan still had so many customs that I needed to get used to. As I closed the door behind me, I saw something move. A boy was sitting on the windowsill, now looking at my direction. The bright sunlight hid his face from me. 

“Oh, sorry about that. I can read this outside…” I said as I had started to walk back out, only just seeing him start to shake his head as he hopped down from the sill. He then crossed the classroom to his desk, giving me a chance to see who it was. This one was Shane.

_Why do I keep running into Normal Boots Club members today?_

Shane then sat at his desk before he turned to face me, drumming his fingers idly. “You’re… the new girl?” 

“Yes. I’m Yunna Readman. Pleasure to meet you.” I then held out my hand for him to shake.

“Shane.” He said in a monotonically British voice, resting his chin in his hand now.

I put my hand back to my side, a silence now filling the room. I then muttered a ‘nice to meet you’ before wandering back over to my desk, letting the book rest on top of it to the page I last left off. “So… I guess you are a part of Normal Boots too?”

“Yes, I am.” He said in a harsh tone, as if he wanted a fight. “Why?”

“I just figured because you had a jacket. They are really nice…”

“Yeah. They are.”

I was beginning to feel like a fish out of water. He was looking at me like I had a lobster on my face that would suddenly turn to attack him. I didn’t want to leave too much of a bad impression, but what could I say to him? He didn’t seem friendly, nor did it look like he was in the mood to talk. Does he just hate people right off the bat? Despite my better judgement, I decided to continue running my mouth.

“So… what kind of games do you play?”

He then looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

“I don’t play too many console games now ever since I gotten my laptop, but I am still interested… It’s just easier to get pc games over console since they have gotten so expensive over the years...”

He remained silent. I just let the conversation drop.

“What did you play?” he asked, a bolt out of the blue.

“Hm? Oh. I played a lot of adventure/platform games. My uncle use to let me play with his old Super Gintndo. I didn’t like Super Nario much, but I could play Monkey Gong Country for days on end even though I could never get passed the first world because I thought you couldn’t finish it without collecting everything first and I always ran out of lives.”

“There is an area in the level you first start in where you can get extra lives easily. I used to just replay the same area over and over again until I have a stupidly large amount of lives. That way I didn’t have to worry about getting a game over whenever I played co-op with my mom.”

His angry face started to smooth out into a more relaxed one. The room suddenly felt much more cheery… or maybe it was just me.

“See? I was never too good at finding out secrets like that. I bet your mom was proud of you.”

“Yeah.” He said as he laughed. “My mom wasn’t too good at finding those out either, no matter how hard she tried. Did your mom -”

That was when Mimi opened the door, talking loudly with her chirpy friends as they entered.

_And we were just on a roll too… Maybe next time._

“Er… sorry.” She said as she and her friends looked at the both of us as if we were conspiring. I couldn’t see how since we were on opposite sides of the room. 

I just shrugged at her and glanced at my book then back to Shane. “What were you about to…?”

The disdainful look was back on Shane’s face, glaring at me harder than ever before. It was like I had hit him out of the blue. He then pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil and started to doodle, no longer willing to talk to me. I sighed as I turned my attention to my book, my mood now soured for no reason. The sun was starting to make me warm, my eyes slowly closing as my head drooped, sleepiness starting to take hold now as I drifted into my thoughts.

_Jared seems like a playboy. Jon was nice. PBG seems like he doesn’t like me. Shane hates my guts for some strange reason. None of the guys I met so far are ‘normal’ by any means… The sun feels nice..._

I had just nodded off when the bell rang for class, causing me to spring to attention in my chair. I turned to the desk next to me, hoping to see Mai. But she was missing for not only that lesson, but for the rest of the school day. 

_I hope nothing bad happened to her._

*****************************************************************************************************

The bell rang harshly in my ears, signaling class was finally over. I picked up my tablet and the books I needed for the assignment for that night. It didn’t help that PBG was distracting me with constant looks of doubt and anger, every passing minute making it more intense. Shane and Jon simply walked out with the rest of the students. I overheard a few conversations as I tried to walk past a couple of students.

“Hey, Mimi, would you like to engage in a casual discourse this evening?”

“Of course! But why are you talking like that?”

“Like what?”

“Forget it…”

I fumbled through my backpack, unearthing my keys from in between two of my textbooks. I pushed the key into the look, turning the knob to push the door in. That was when I heard my name being shrilled out at full volume along with the realization I was falling backwards toward the floor. 

“OOF!”

“I am so glad you’re back!” she said as she started to nuzzle against me. 

“S-s-s-so, w-h-what is this all about?” I asked I felt my body stiffen up from the contact.

“Come, look, look!” Mai then tried to pick me up off the floor by the arms.

It took me a moment to get over the sudden glomp. “What happened here?” I asked as I glance around the room, now filled with a rosy pink glow, a white carpet now occupying the floor with a pair of comfy leather chairs surrounding it, and a mountain of pillows were now on Mai’s bunk.

“So this is what you were doing all day…” I said as I finally got a good look around the room, a hand brushing against the leather chair.

“Haha. Yeah, sorry I didn’t say anything. I wanted to surprise you! My stuff got delayed by a day. I had to set it up to be a surprise! I am still not done yet, though.” She said as she gestured to the potted plants that were now lining her desk. “Want to help?”

“Of course I’ll help!” I said as I wandered over to the plants, giving them a friendly hello.

*****************************************************************************************************

I collapsed onto my bunk as we finally finished organizing the room. Some things were in odd places for my taste, but Mai said that it was critical for the ‘feng-shui’ of the room.She wanted the room to be filled with red and pink and coupled items. I just let her do what she wanted with her stuff as long as she left mine right where it was. I curled up on my bed as she sat on the floor, the both of us yawing. 

“Man, moving to another country really takes a lot out of you…” I said as I snuggled Bessie.

“Wait!” Mai said as she jolted off of the floor. “We should get ice cream!”

“Isn’t it kind of late?”

“Don’t worry, they should still be open! I figured we should do something to celebrate us becoming roommates! And the ice cream here is really good, I promise.”

A tired giggle escapes from me as I sit up. “I’ll be the judge of that. We had some really good ice cream places back home.”

“I’m paying.” Mai added.

“Then that alone will make it taste better!”

“Sweet! Let’s go!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Surprisingly enough, there was a small shop tacked onto the side of the cafeteria. It was filled to the brim with various forms of food, both junk and not. There were quite a few students browsing the aisles, trying to decide on what to get. Mai paid the cashier and we unwrapped our cones. I was delighted to see that they had my favorite pistachio flavor. 

“This is pretty good!” I said as I licked the green off my lips.

“Isn’t it? We are so lucky to have such good food on this campus. This place would be awful if it didn’t.”

“It would be a nightmare for me. But then again, I guess I could just always make food for us to eat. They would let us use the Home EC room whenever we want so long as it is in our free time, right?”

But before Mai could answer, we noticed that there was a commotion happening outside. Curiosity had gotten the better of me and we decided to go find out what was all the hubbub. We then saw a group of three boys with, surprise, Normal Boots jackets on. They were all shouting at each other, their faces red or purple as they tried to outshout each other.

“This again?” Mai chimed in, taking another lick of her ice cream.

“I’m guessing this happens a lot.” I added as I started to listen into their conversation.

“I am clearly the one who possesses the proper masculine form!” the one with darker skin in the center, Paul, said.

“Yeah right, I am taller than you, and more attractive to boot!” Said the other one, Josh, to his right.

“Come on, guys... Do you not see these muscles?” Said the one to the left, Nick, now flexing as he pushed up his glasses.

Mai grimaced. “Those guys always go on about stuff like this. They are very… energetic.”

“Wow. That’s a lot coming from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying, you being energetic as well…” I mumbled, staring at one of the pistachios poking from my ice cream.

When I turned back to the boys, I noticed that they were all taking various poses, accentuating their various body parts.

“What I don’t understand is why they don’t ask Jared...” She said as she bit into her cone.

“Oh, yeah!?” Paul said as he started to sprint in our direction, not looking where he was going. “Check this out!” He then sprang into the air, doing a perfect pirouette in the air falling back down-

onto me.

It took me a moment to orient myself, looking straight up at the sky. I felt dirt all over my back. I then felt a chill spread from my stomach.

Mai then hovered into my view. “Yunna, are you okay!?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” I said as I felt a sob catch in my throat. I sat up, feeling the ice cream now fall into my lap and onto my leg, making me yelp.

“Ugh… what happened?” Paul asked as he looked dazed.

“You ran into someone!” Shouted Nick from behind him.

I groaned as I looked at my clothes, hoping the green wouldn’t stain my uniform. I heard snickering surround me after the initial shock of what happened vanished. Without a word, I picked up what was left of the ice cream and dumped it in the nearest trash can, making my way back to the dorm. I did my best to hide my tears of stress, not wanting to show everyone what an ugly face I made when I cried. I had only taken a few steps when I heard Jon ask what had happened. I had started to break down, the attention too much.

“Yunna, are you alright?” A wild PBG asked, a hand reaching for my shoulder.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” I shouted as I flinched away from him, now running as fast I can to Primrose house.

“Hanna, wait-!” Mai called, only making me run faster.

*****************************************************************************************************

I yanked open the door to the bathroom and started to pull off all my clothes, dumping it in the nearest sink. I turned on the cold water, sniffing back my tears as I did my best to take off most of the ice cream. Apparently I had waited too long, a sticky film coating the lining of the jacket, shirt, and skirt. The tears then became too much. I started to bawl my eyes out, doing my best to stay quiet. After wringing the water as much as I could and wiping my skin off with a wet towel, I wandered over to my room in just my underwear, not running into anyone as I did. I dumped the wet, sticky clothes into the empty waste bin so water wouldn’t absorb into the carpet. I then dressed in my nightgown and crawled into my bed, hugging my stuffed cow as tightly as I could.

_I’m so stupid… I did it again… I am never going to make any real friends..._

I continued to cry, my tears rolling down my cheeks. I then heard the door click and swing open. My breath caught. I tried to control my breathing, acting as if I had fallen asleep already.

“Yunna, are you okay?” Mai asked.

I ignored her, hoping she would just let me be. Mai just stood in the middle of the room, probably looking at me, for a long while. She then sat at her desk and started to work on something. The sound of her pencil against paper slowly lulled me to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading and the kudos! I am happy that people are enjoying what I have written so far. Until next time!


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday sure ended in disaster. Hopefully Yunna will be able to dust herself off and keep her head up high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone that has taken a glance at my story and a big hug for everyone who has given me kudos! I hope I can get to know you guys better as I continue on this journey. Enjoy!

I groaned as I heard my favorite anime theme blaire out of my phone on my desk. I stumbled my way over, still half-asleep as I completed the required puzzle lock. When it finally shut off, I glanced at what time it was after rubbing the morning from my brown irised eyes.

_Why did I set this at five in the morning again?_

It then dawned on me that I had set the alarm so I could keep to the new routine that I had set for myself before I left the states. I had gotten up at five so I could go out exercising by myself for about a few hours before I had to wake the rest of my family up to get them ready for their day. Now that I had settled in, I really had no excuse to keep procrastinating about it. I had then gone to my closet, fishing out my workout clothes. I got dressed and quietly left the room, phone in hand with my wireless headphones, grateful that Mai was a heavy enough sleeper to ignore the alarm. 

I shivered in the morning air, jogging around a little to heat myself up. It was nice, touring around campus like this. I bring up an app called Access that served as part game, part exercise tracker. The map that tracked me would also help me get more of my bearings. I was surprised on how many nodes I could tap for resources and take over in team Informed signature green. Now properly motivated, I hit the farthest node I could find and activated navigation. 

*****************************************************************************************************

By the time I finished painting the school green, it was half past six. Just enough time for me to shower and get ready for school. Mai was still asleep. My heart sank as I finally remembered what had happened the day before. 

_I have to apologize when she gets up._

I walk back into the room after my shower, fully dressed in my only other uniform. I then see Mai, straightening her hair.

“H-hey…” I stammered, unsure of how Mai would react.

“Yunna! I wondered where you wondered off to.” She said, her voice chipper then I thought it would be. “Are you still worried about what happened yesterday? No one cares about it! I have even almost forgotten about it myself.”

I noticed she had hung my ruined uniform up to dry when I was gone. I laughed a little. “I kind of forgotten about it too. I’m not the kind of person to hold a grudge against anyone. They would be competing against me in a game or have to do something unforgivable for that. I hope that day never comes…”

Mai then walked up to me and pulled me in for a hug, my body stiffening up still but not as much as I did yesterday. I then slowly hugged her back, getting used to the sensation. I hate how making physical contact with other people was so hard. Mai must have seen the uncomfortable face I was making, thinking I was still worried about the incident.

“For real, though!” She said as she let go, “We are gonna go to class and nobody's even gonna mention what a fool you made of yourself the other day.”

“It’s not that I am worried about.” I said as I tried to compose myself. “I have to apologize for shouting at them. It wasn’t right that I did that.”

“That’s what you are worried about?” Mai asked, disbelieving me.

“Yeah. I could care less if they think I am a weirdo. Nothing I am not used to.”

“Weirdo…? Tch. Stop being so gloomy, girl! I could bottle up that gloom and sell it to a wizard. And what if he used it for evil?”

I couldn’t help but giggle, Mai’s smile lightening my mood. “Yeah, your right.”

“Ready to go?”

I took one last look at my ruined uniform, sighing before facing Mai again. “As I ever will be…”

*****************************************************************************************************

No one gave me a second glance as I entered the classroom with Mai. I wasn’t sure if it was because they didn’t care or they didn’t want to associate with me. Whichever it was, I was grateful that no one would be talking to me much. I occasionally spotted the odd glance now and then, but I shrugged them off. I continued to take notes on my tablet, getting fully engrossed in her lecture for a little bit. But then, I heard some shouting outside, my curiosity peaked. I turned and saw some of the boys playing soccer. 

_Is that PBG…?_ I thought as I tilted my back chair a bit to get a closer look. But I tilted it a tad too much, causing it to topple over with me in it. 

“Waaah!” I slammed against the floor, thankfully my back taking the brunt of it. I did my best to hold down my stupidly short skirt. Why did uniforms in Japan for girls _HAVE_ to be skirts?!

“Yunna!” I heard Ms. Shizuka yell!, stomping in my direction. “If playing with your chair is more interesting than samurai death battles, feel free to enlighten us. You came here to learn, not to mess around with the furniture!”

“Sorry ma’am…” I said as I slowly picked myself off the floor, blushing red as I felt everyone’s eyes trained on me.

She then started to write down something on the blackboard and continued her lecture as if I didn’t just humiliate myself in front of dozens of people again.

_I can’t get a break, can I?_

A couple of desks in front of me, a guy in the same jacket as BrutalMoose turned around and gave me a thumbs up as he adjusted his black baseball cap. It just made my ears start to turn red. Ian then used his hand to slap him on the back of the head, not even looking at him as he mumbled something I couldn’t hear. Ian then turned, our eyes meeting each others for a moment before turning away. I was really feeling crummy now. I sunk into my seat, wishing that I was shorter. I almost gasped as I saw the amount of writing on the blackboard, now sitting correctly again and jotting them down as quickly as I could. I had a scholarship to keep up and I didn’t know if Ms. Shizuka was one of those teachers that wiped the board clear despite everyone not finished copying yet. 

After what seemed like hours of Japanese history, it was almost time for lunch. 

“Okay, everyone!” Ms.Shizuka addressed as she clapped her hands together, a small puff of chalk slowly sinking to the ground, “You are almost free to go. Tonight’s work should not be so hard, so I don’t want to hear any complaining! Work with some of your classmates if you are having trouble with the material before you come to me.”

Her face then looked a touch less enthused. “Also, you may be aware already that the Flower Festival is going to be here in a week and a half.” The entire class then started to cheer as they packed up. “Since the day of the Festival is a day off for everyone, we will be having our first exam the day before.” The class was less excited about that. “Romance is wonderful - believe me, I know - but do not let that distract you from your studies. That is all. See you all, tomorrow~!” She then flashed two peace signs and a smile as she walked out the door

*****************************************************************************************************

“Ugh, that lecture was sooooooooo boring…” Mai griped as we took our filled trays, now trying to find a seat in the crowded cafeteria. 

I kept an eye out as I said “You said that yesterday…”

“I probably did, but that also counts for today. Yunna, help me. I’ll die of boredom!”

“Well, if you start taking notes on a tablet like mine, you could probably sneak in some time to play a game or something. But I highly doubt you would want to when we have our work cut out for us...”

“Huh, I never thought of that… Wait. What do you mean? We already have work to do!?”

“Do you have selective hearing when it comes to Ms. Shizuka?”

Mai then sighed dramatically as she leaned her head into the crook of my neck out of nowhere. I gripped onto my tray as best I could, knowing that if I wasn’t concentrating I would drop it. Thankfully she lifted herself off of me before I could start stuttering at her to get off.

“Oh, God! Yunna, Paul’s walking over here! He is looking at you!” She shout whispered at me, “Does he look angry at you? Why is he coming over here? Do you think he is coming for a second attempt at running into you?”

The same Paul that flew at me yesterday was then coming closer, my fight or flight instinct kicking in. Today was a flight day, turning on my heel to make my way to the exit. He quickly caught up to me.

“Hey! I’m glad I found you!” He said as he gave me a lopsided smile. “I wanted to make sure you were not hurt or anything. You ran off before I could properly apologize.”

I shook my head no, completely forgetting that I had a voice.

“I gotcha pretty bad, huh? I think I ballarina-ed too hard.” he said as I nodded in agreement. “It’s a shame you are not wearing the uniform from yesterday. The green really matches your blue hair.”

I started to glare at him, Mai prodding me in the back with her tray as if she was saying ‘Don’t you _dare_ mess this up!’ I gave a soft sigh as I found my voice again. “I-I-It’s fine. It was an honest accident, right? You didn’t mean to crash into me.”

“Heh, yeah… Anyway, I am more then happy to pay for the dry cleaning. Josh, Nick, and I feel really bad about the whole thing. We had never made a girl cry before… Well, not by physically injuring her, I guess…”

“I might take your offer up on that if I can’t get it out myself.” I said, thinking back on what my uniform looked like and devising on what methods I could use before consulting my mother.

Even though we could pay for dry cleaning now and again, the town we lived in was very small and only had the essential business to keep the town going. It only consisted of a few gasoline stations, a grocery store, a few take-out places, a laundromat, and a thrift store. If we wanted to get clothes or entertain ourselves outside of the four parks in town, we had to drive half an hour to the town over. This meant that my mom had had to teach us to do a lot of things hand or we had to wait until enough things piled up to justify the trip.

“That is going to need a lot more than hot water and soap, trust me. Tell you what, I have a friend that is a natural when it comes to that kind of stuff. I’ll ask her to get the stain out for you. Just meet me later, bring the uniform, and I will try my best not to kick you, okay?

“Please try not to make it a habit.” I called after him as he turned around and left without a yes or no, only to spin back around as if he forgot to ask me something. “Uh… are you and… Mai, right? Do you guys have a table? The cafeteria's pretty full right now, so you can sit with us if you want. Just for today.”

I was about to say ‘That’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother...’ until Mai cut in front of me.

“YES! Yes, we’ll go. Right, Yunna?” she said as she begged me with her apple green eyes.

I laughed a little. “Sure, why not?”

_Lunch with the not so Normal Boots Club. What could possibly go wrong?_

“Alright, follow me, ladies.” Paul said as he then started to lead us to a table right in the middle of the cafeteria that was claimed by Normal Boots. 

“Heeeeeeeeeey, you found her!” Josh said as he greeted us to the table, “You’re Yunna, right?”

I gave a small nod, taking the seat that was furthest from anyone as Mai decided to wedge herself between Jared and PBG. She almost had enough sparkles in her eyes to rival Jared’s. Can she be any more obvious?

“Um… So…” PBG muttered, trying to find the right words. “Yunna, we saw that you were pretty upset and we were all worried. Are you doing okay?” He looked at me with concern in his eyes. I could feel my face wanting to blush, talking myself out of putting my hand up to his cheek to console him like I would my brothers. I reminded myself to breath, noticing how many boys were now surrounded the table, which made me want to hyperventilate.

_So… Many… People…_

I had tried to tune myself out, only to overhear the student body around us start to whisper gossip. 

“Look at those girls over there…” Said a girl who was super sporty looking, her hair up in a ponytail.

“Who do they think they are?” Whined a preppy girl with so many bracelets I lost count after twenty.

“How come they get to sit there?” Huffed snooty girl that was eating caviar for lunch.

Preppy girl then sighed, her chin in her hands. “I wish senpai would notice me…” 

The sporty girl began to pout. “Readers get all the luck…” 

I could feel a shiver down my spine and my hair stand on end. I could feel all the malice being pointed my way. I started to eat faster, wanting to escape the limelight. But with PBG still looking at me, I couldn’t eat as fast as I wanted to, his eyes filled with more worry than before.

“Really… I’m okay.” I said in between one of my bites, “Honest. I probably wasn’t looking where I was going. I always end up getting in the way of someone. And… I am sorry for yelling at you… I was really stressed out. I should have controlled myself better.” I suddenly lost my appetite, resting my chopsticks down on the tray. I felt really out of my element now. My mother would have been proud that I was able to remain so polite.

“Hey, Yunna, don’t apologize. It was Paul’s fault. Right, Paulie?” Nick said as he shoved Paul.

Paul clearly looked annoyed. “I apologized the best I could, Nick. Give me a break.”

I slowly started to feel better now that everyone was doing their own thing and PBG was no longer looking at me save for Shane giving me a suspicious glance now and then. I wouldn’t blame him. Some strange girl just sitting at _their_ table. I wanted to leave as much as he wanted me to go.

One of the boys that I have yet to meet, Jirard, then spoke up, scratching his beard. “How do you like it here so far, Yunna?” 

“Everything is so... different here. I mean, people around here are so trusting that it’s disturbing…” I said as I recalled someone leaving their cell phone back in the classroom. “Not to mention how everyone here just lines up. I have never seen lines so narrow… And the classes are so well thought out… Everything is just… different… How about you?” 

I then started to mentally freak out at the mistake of asking such a stupid question to someone who has already gone here for at least a year. “I mean… Um… I-i-it’s… um… I really like it here. Thank you.” I added quickly, wishing I could go dig myself a hole now.

Jirard just smiled as he turned away. I stared at my plate, wishing I didn’t get so much to eat. All the boys were having their own conversations as Mai was basking in the glory that was Jared.

“I… can feel… his body heat…” I heard her mumble. I couldn’t help but to snort.

“You doing okay, Yunna?” Satch asked, smiling, “I know it can be overwhelming. You’re fine, right?”

“Yeah… I am. Thanks.” I said, the book popping into my mind now. “Oh, and thanks for lending me that book. I am enjoying re-reading it after such a long time.”

“That’s great. Who is your favorite character?”

“Well, as much as I love the swordsman man, I have to say the masked man. He has such a mysterious aura around him at first, but to find out… Oh. I probably shouldn’t say that out loud in case anyone here wants to read it.”

“That’s nice of you. But I think I know what you are talking about. It happens around chapter ten?” He said as he pushed his glasses up, a gleam in his eye.

“ _Yes!_ And then what he does in the chapter after…” I bit my tongue as I smiled, not wanting to cause the entire table to go deaf with my fangirling.

“You were pretty quiet, but I knew there was more to you.”

“Force of habit… sorry.” 

“Don’t worry. We have all been wallflowers before.” Satch said before raising his voice for the entire table to hear, “But that reminds me, the Flower Festival!” It was then everyone turned to him, now commanding the presence of the table. “Who are you all taking this year?”

“What is the Flower Festival about?” I asked, looking around the cluster of faces.

“Hm… Well, it’s basically a festival…” Jirard chimed simply, “Didn’t you have those at your old school?”

“No. We would have people put on a show where they would all lip-sync to music or everyone would sell food tied to a theme of some sort depending on the holiday… but our school never a festival.” I then thought about the festival my hometown had. “But my town did. Our town's was about flowers too. It’s called the Wildflower Festival.The story goes that the mountain that is the backdrop to our city used to be covered in flowers before a wildfire killed them all. Now we have the festival to remember the flowers by. I stopped going since it is usually the exact same every year.”

“Aw, why not?” Mai asked, clearly distressed. “They are so fun!”

“Yeah, they are not as fun when you have to babysit two brothers that are trying to spend all your pocket money…” I mumbled, trying not to sound too bitter.

“Oh…” Mai said as she realized what I said. “Well, maybe you will like this one more! The Flower Festival is held all over Japan, but it is a big deal in Higanbana. That’s the town right next to Asago. There is a myth tied into our festival that is supposedly important.”

That was when Satch took over. “Supposedly the founder of Higanbana was an old man that had gotten lost in the mountains and almost died of thirst. This flower spirit then came to him and offered to help him out in return for him vowing to protect her home. He agreed, and she drained herself of all her water so he can drink. The man then founded Higanbana to look over the meadow that he met the flower in.”

“In some versions of the myth, the man and the flower spirit fell in love.” Jared piped in. “It is truly a romantic festival. One may hope to find someone with which to make a vow of eternal love, much like the man and the flower spirit had and to live on to protect the one they love.”  
He then winked which made Mai swoon.

Jon then gave a small cough, which was to say a big one. “So during the day of the Flower Festival, there’s a lot of stalls set up, and you can go play games, or eat, or go flower-viewing. Then at night, over in a meadow by the temple,there are flowers you can watch, and there is a bonfire, and dancing! It’s a lot of fun. We look forward to it every year! Asago also makes paper flowers to sell at a small booth to help fund the school. There is usually a volunteer drive for people who are good at origami beforehand.”

“Really? I may go for it then. My friend Hana says I am really fast learner when it comes to origami.” I added, PBG’s head turning so fast I was surprised it didn’t come off.

“Really?” Jon asked, now looking at Shane’s direction. “Shane is pretty good at origami too. Maybe you two should work together.”

Shane then gave a smile I could clearly see he didn’t want to make. I highly doubted that.

“Hey, speaking of, I swear I saw you reject ten girls last festival season.” Jared stated. “I mean, that is nothing compared to me, but there was so many girls with broken hearts. Not even I could mend them all.”

I wanted to gag.

“You still hung up on your English girlfriend?” Jared said as he wrapped his arm around Shane’s shoulders.

Shane then flinched out of his hold, visibly shaken. “No, I really don’t talk to her anymore.”

“Oh, Shane.” Jared then clasped both of his hands onto his shoulders before wiping away a fake tear. “I just want you to be happy, that’s all.”

“You don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy, you know.” I said with a touch of annoyance as Shane grimaced.

I had started eating again just to have something to do. I wasn’t really interested in going. But _if_ someone did ask me (and that would be a really big ‘if’) I might go after telling my best online friend I couldn’t do our usual ritual. Besides, after today I probably wouldn’t be talking to them much. They said we could only sit at this table just for today. My mind started to drift as I took the last bite of what I think is to be meatloaf.

“So, fellas.” Jared grinned. “Any girls in mind?”

 _Why won’t this conversation die!?_

Somehow Mai had wandered her way beside me, now taking cautious glances at Jared to her fries, looking like she was thinking about something she wasn’t supposed to. Jared then opened his arms and raised a brow as he expected a plethora of names to shower him.

PBG was the first to break the ice. “I am thinking of going solo this year.”

“Yeah.” Said Jon.

Jirard said “Same.”

“Man, you guys are boring.” Jared said as he crossed his arms.

Josh scoffed at him. “You aren’t much better, man.”

“I?” Jared smiled at Josh. I am on another level then you.guys. I already have someone picked out.”

I then turned to Mai who had turned as white as a sheet, her fork slipping from her grip.

Josh rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. And I bet that there will be a new choice tomorrow.”

Jared elegantly flipped his hair with his hand. “You know me so well.” He then made a pose to show himself off. “There is only so much time to make many different girl’s dreams come true. I must find the ones that are most in need.”

 _Bite your tongue for Mai’s sake…_ I thought, wanting to make a snarky remark.

“So it is not even about the one you like, huh?” Shane asked, clearly not amused.

Jared’s answer was short and to the point: “Nope!”

“And you make fun of _me_...”

The warning bell finally rang, picking up my now empty tray and making a bee-line to the nearest trash can. I decided to be polite again. “Thank you for letting Mai and me sit at your table today.”

“Yeah, Yunna was really down in the dumps this morning, but you perked her right up!” Mai said, grinning at me, her eyes twinkling as she tilted her head just so, “So, see you guys tomorrow, same time?”

“But didn’t Paul say that we could only sit here today?”

“Ah, it’s cool.” Paul said, easily brushing away his previous statement with one hand while the other put the tray with the others. “The cafeteria is really crowded and our table has plenty of room.” Josh and Nick then walked to Paul’s sides. 

“People are too afraid to sit with us or something.” said Nick.

“Well, we did kick a girl yesterday.” Added Josh.

The three of them shrugged together then walked out in sync of each other, reminding me of a group here in Japan that could do the exact same thing to music. Jared jogged up to them after he finished dumping his tray. 

As soon as they were gone from view, Mai started to shake my entire body with her joyous bouncing. “You did it, Yunna! We get to sit at the popular table now! I have been trying to do this for two years when you did it in two days.” I felt a pit sink into my stomach when she made an angry face. “Why do readers have all the fun?”

_Why do you keep calling me a reader? I know I like to read, but you don’t have to call me that…_

*****************************************************************************************************

“You will now be working in pairs to paint a diorama or make a paper-mache lamp. Postmodern preferably. Then draw your design down.Or don’t. That works too.” Ms. Shizuka offered, “But do try to remember that this project will count for ten percent of your grade. So, work hard! Sound good?”

_Sometimes I think she just says ‘Sound good’ to hear the class gripe._

“Alright class,” Ms. Shizuka said “In the few minutes of class we have left, pick your partners and start to plan your project. We’ll continue next class.”

I was a little excited, having someone that I could count on to be my partner for once. But as I heard the clattering of desks, I saw that one girl - Mimi Santos - come to claim her. 

“You don’t mind, do you?” She asked before pulling Mai away, shrugging as she frowned and was dragged off.

_That’s okay. I’m used to it. Let’s just hope that there is an odd number of students…_

I looked around and saw the other students I knew already pared, mentally counting them off.

_Two.... Four… Ten… Yes! I think it is an odd number!_

I then felt a desk slam into mine, making my heart skip a beat. I then turned to see PBG’s face a few inches from mine as he leaned in. 

“Guess we will be working together!” He said, radiating. I tilted a little to see behind him, the wake of desks and windswept students behind him. He then turned around to see what I was looking at, realizing he was the cause. “Oh… oops. Sorry!” He then waved sheepishly behind him. “Well, for better or worse, we are partners!”

“So we are…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry for getting stuck with me.”

“Why are you apologizing? Wait. That is not what I mean at all!” He was really tripping over his words now. “You’re super smart. I’m sorry that you are stuck with me.”

“Come on, now. You can’t be that bad.”

PBG huffed. “I guess. But I hate school work. I don’t care for it at all.”

“I don’t think anyone does.”

I then tap my tablet awake, already starting to draw up plans on what I wanted to do. I have had plenty of partners that didn’t care if most of their grade depended on an assignment or not. So I just did all the work myself and report to the teacher that my partner didn’t help.

“Oh, not that I will make you do it all!” He added, seeing me already working, “I may not like school, but I am not going to let someone else fail because I think it sucks. I haven’t done that since I was a kid. A girl got _so_ mad, I learned my lesson.” He then slapped his hands against the desk laughing, wondering if I was to do the same by the way he was looking at me. I smiled instead.

“Aw.” I said as I stopped typing. “That is so cute!” He stopped and frowned at me. “Well, it is!”

The then asked me something strange: “Do you like apple cider? Or pinball? Or magnolias?”

It did catch me off guard, but I replied a beat later. “Yeah, it’s okay, but I like it cold better than hot. Pinball is fun, but I am not very good at it. And they are a nice flower, but my favorite is Lily of the Valley. What brought this about?”

“But… you…” he started to say before he just started to imitate a goldfish. The then suddenly leaned into me again. Not enough to touch but enough for me to see the reflection of my brown eyes in his forest green.

“I think you have me mistaken for someone else…” A thought then ran through my mind. “Hey, do you know someone named Hana?”

I saw him jump up. He then realized what he was doing, sitting down and acting casual. “Um… you know what? Don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?”

“I was brainstorming. You didn’t seem to have any strong reactions that we could use for our piece. So I guess we won’t be doing any of those then.”

I was going to confront him again, wanting to know if he knew my Hana when the bell rang. “Shoot! We didn’t pick the project yet!”

PBG then went into a frantic apology mode. “I’m sorry, that’s my fault. I was messing around. But don’t worry! I’ll come up with something. Just leave it to me!” He then stood from his chair and thumped his fist into his chest, reminding me of a character from an anime I was recently watching. He gave a wide, reassuring smile before pushing his desk back into place as I finished packing up for the day.

_I am going to have so many questions the next time we meet…_

I then walked out of the classroom, ready to head back to my dorm when PBG caught up with me.

_That was quick…_

I stopped and let him catch up. I then tilted my head up a little. It was so nice having to look up at a person for once.

He cleared his throat. “So, um. I know you said that you were fine at lunch, but are you sure you are okay? I mean, you were… really freaked out yesterday…”

“No. I’m fine. If anything, I should be apologizing for how I shouted at you like that. It wasn’t very nice…”

“It’s fine. If you need anything, you can rely on me. Especially since you look….” His words faded, looking away from me for a second before his face turned into a pout again. “Nevermind. Anyway, are you heading back to your dorms?”

“Yeah. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be. Why?”

“How about we go together?”

I glanced into the classroom, seeing Mai and Mimi slowly start to scream at each other while making vague movements with their arms. Something told me that they would be at this for a while. 

“Sure, why not?”

But as we both turned to exit the hall, we were halted by a boy in a black and gold jacket.He had a chiseled chin and high cheekbones like I have never seen before. He wasn’t from my class and he had to be a Hidden Block member. I looked at the two of them, hoping that a second fight wasn’t about to take place, only to be stunned when PBG gave him a high five.

“Hey, Jeff!”

“PBG! You pumped for the soccer match?”

“Yeah, I have been waiting for it all summer!”

“Are you busy? I am trying to get the team together for a last minute practice. You in?”

“I am SO in! I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day. Are my cleats still in your locker?”

“Yep.”

“Awesome. Let’s go then.”

I simply smiled waving as I was getting ready to walk away. “Well, you two have fun then.”

The two of them then looked at me, PBG surprised look on his face gave me the hint that he had forgotten all about me.

“Go ahead. Go. I’ll see you in class tomorrow, okay?” I gave him a genuine smile to show that there was no hard feelings.

“Okay, I will be sure to bring my thinking cap.” He then mimed a hat, my imagination placing super smart looking top hat on his head that made me giggle as he gave me a thumbs up. I then turned around, only to be stopped again. “Oh, wait! Do you want to come to our game? It’s in a few weeks and the first one of the year. So it would be really cool if you would come and watch us. Mostly me because I am the star player.”

“Wow, thanks.” Jeff scoffed, making me giggle again.

_They have such a nice dynamic…_

“I would love to come!” I said, my sense of nostalgia kicking in. “Soccer was a big deal in my old school too.”

“Woo!” PBG cheered, “Thanks. That really means a lot to me since hardly anyone comes to the first one.”

“I’ll be sure to drag Mai with me too.” 

_She will be delighted to see some hot, sweaty guys._

“Totally. Bring as many people as you want. Fill the stands!” He then left with Jeff, leaving me to my own devices. As I walked outside, I realized I didn’t have to go back to the dorm. I could go to the library! I had already finished the book Satch gave me, so I could give it back before I started on my homework.

*****************************************************************************************************

Satch wasn’t working in the library today, so I guess I am going to keep the book for a little while longer. I then ended up staying at the library too long, my attention on a book with project ideas, my mind humming at the thought of planning one out. I then realized something: I could still get lost on the way back to the dorms. With Mai guiding me, I focused more on talking then where everything was. I did my best to look busy while the other students slowly trickled out of the library. 

When I was sure that everyone had left, I closed the book and stood up, only to hear someone shout out my name.

“Hi, Yunna! How are you?”

“AH!” I spun around to see Jirard walking past me. 

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s okay.” I said as I giggled my nerves away. “I’m doing fine now that you jumpstarted my heart.”

“Yeah?” He asked, clearly not believing me.

“Uh… actually, I am kind of scared to leave… Silly, I know, but I still get kinda lost.”

“Yeah, you look a bit like a lost otter. But hey, I haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to you until now. I have been wondering how you have been settling in.”

_Lost otter…? Okay, that is adorable._

“I know that transfer students don’t really get introduced to the school like freshmen do.” Jirard continued, “Are your classes okay? How is your homework load? Do you like the food? How are you getting along with Mai?”

I stumbled across a few of my words, not ready for the barrage of questions. “Um… ah… Well, I am doing okay. The classes here are a lot like my old school, so there is nothing I can’t handle. Mai has been really great. And the food here… Oh, my gosh the food here!” I could feel myself becoming giddy, Jirard smile slowly lit up the library around us. 

It looked like Jirard was about to jump for joy when he said: “I can show you around, if you like! I used to give tours to incoming students. If you are new, you _really_ should get a tour.”

“I’d love to.” I said, seeing how animated Jirard had become.

“Alright, we can start at the boy’s dorm. I need to put my books away.” 

I paused. “Are girls allowed in the boy’s dorm?”

He laughed as he lead the way out of the library. “Of course! We are allowed in each other’s dorms so long as it is not curfew.”

“Good to know.” I said as I stepped alongside him.

“Has anyone told you that we don’t get a lot of transfers?”

I laughed as I said “Only a dozen times.”

“I always wonder how new students think of everything right when they get here. I wish I could experience everything here for the first time again. Was your old school anything like this?”

“Well, kind of. We had all brick buildings too, but all the classrooms were on the ground. We didn’t have very many lockers either. And every time you switched classes, you were exposed to the elements since the hallways were open to the air. If anything, it feels more like a college campus. They didn’t have dorms either.”

Jirard nodded as we arrived at the boy’s dorm, opening the door and letting me pass first. He then showed the proper use of jazz hands as he presented the first floor to me. “This is Bluebell House. It’s where the boy’s live. It is literally a carbon copy of the girl’s dorm, except the walls are blue.” He then gestured to the books in his hands. “Feel free to walk around, but don’t enter any of the rooms. I’m gonna drop this off. I’ll be right back.”

I then watched him as he took to the stairs two at a time, hoping he doesn’t miss a step. I appreciated the fact he wanted to hurry because of me, but I rather he thought of his own safety first. It was still nice, though, how he cared so much. I stretched out a little as I moved over to where I hopefully wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, an action movie played somewhere, muffled. I hummed softly to myself to pass the time. I felt a little out of place waiting in the hall, so I decided to wait outside, only to have the door open before I could reach the handle. 

That is when two boys with Hidden Block jackets bumped into me. I quickly apologized without thinking.

“Whoa, blue hair? That’s unique.” The boy to my right said in a very thick British accent while the other looked me up and down.

_His accent is so cool. It’s much thicker than Shane’s. I wonder if I can get him to keep talking…?_

“You’re the girl who sat at the Normal Boot’s table today at lunch, aren’t you?” The younger boy asked. I gave him a quick nod in return. 

_Well, that is one thing that is the same: Rumors and gossip spread fast._

“I never thought they’d entertain having a girl join them. Do you think it is because of the puzzle incident?” said the British one.

_Why does everyone in this school have cool voices? First Normal Boots, then these guys…_

“Shane would not be comfortable with someone joining up like that. They hardly even know her.” said the younger. I was starting to get the notion that I was being ignored.

“There must be a reason why she sat with them though…”

“If they are planning a secret weapon, we should get back at them-”

“Or you could just ask me, who is right in front of you right now…” I politely offered, smiling. The two then realized that I was listening to their conversation as if I had a choice in the matter.

“Hey! Your right!” The young boy then stared at me. “Are you joining Normal Boots, then, or…?”

I shrugged. “Beats me. They just offered my friend and I a seat for the day.”

As much as I would have liked to join, I don’t think I would be a good fit for the club. I mean, I wouldn’t say no if they asked, but I didn’t even know what the club did besides video games and boot statue worship. Not to mention that wasn’t the best at video games. I was average at best. I just continued to give them a blank stare, watching as he started to backtrack.

“Uh, sorry!” The young boy muttered. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Um, we’re - we’re club members of the Hidden Block club, and the Normal Boots is our rivals in tournaments, so we were just wondering…”

I felt my heart sinking. I hate competition based things at times. A different side of me I hate shows when I am forced to pick a side. At least that is how I see it. Others have just told me I just really get into it. But I can tell you from first hand experience that it has caused trouble for me in the past.

“Greetings and salutations, my beautiful person! I’m Caddicarus, and this is Jimmy Whetzel.” He said as he gestured to himself and Jimmy. “You can call me Caddy for short. Everyone does.”

“Everyone?” Jimmy smirked as he glanced at Caddy, knowingly.

“ _Almost_ everyone.” Caddy grimaced.

I then heard footsteps coming from the stairs. “Oh, hey guys!” Jirard puffed as he turned the last corner, “I see you already met Yunna! She’s a new friend of ours, so be nice to her, okay?”

“What?” Caddy gasped. “Would we be anything other than nice?”

Jirard’s eyes then turned slightly cold. “Last year’s tournament would beg to differ...”

“That was _one_ time!” Jimmy whined. “And that was because Shane ate my pizza.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Jirard said as he reflected. “Anyways, I don’t want to keep you! I was giving Yunna the tour of the campus since she is new here.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you.” Jimmy said as he waved. “I hope we’ll see you around more.”

“It was nice meeting you!” Added Caddy.

“Aaaand we are off again!” Said Jirard as he and I both waved goodbye as he let me through the door first again. It was nice to meet a guy who was such a gentleman. 

*****************************************************************************************************

“That’s Azalea Arts Center. There’s a recording booth and lots of other rooms for clubs to meet in…” Jirard pointed out. “The theater is right next to it. It’s where Jon holds the drama club and all his rehearsals. I think the student council holds elections there too and Jared holds a special event at _least_ once a semester.”

I nodded as he then starts to list off the kinds of events Jared had: A martial arts exhibition, tea ceremonies, flower arrangement… with the latest one being a fashion show. 

_Jared sure has a lot of hobbies…_

Jirard looked like he was in awe.”You see what I mean? He is truly talented. All my friends are! I think I am really lucky to have people like that all around me.”

My heart really went out to him, knowing the exact same feeling when it came to my friends online. They were all artists, voice actors, or competitive in sports or games. My guild was great, but I needed some friends on the other side of the computer. I sighed.

“Yunna, you have a question?” He asked as I shook my head. “Okay, Great. Over there you can see Higanbana peaking out from the distance… there’s a field separating us… and people like to eat here…”

Jirard was my kind of person. I could tell we could get along great. He was very down to earth and was so kind. I was really glad that he was giving me a tour. He spoke about every building in detail, helping me memorize where everything was. He even took me to buildings Mai didn’t point out. We ended our tour in Poppy Hall. 

“Tada!! Here is it is, the Normal Boots clubroom!” Jirard apparently wanted our tour to end at what was, what he thought to be, was the best spot on campus. He then opened the door, showing what looked like a normal classroom with the seats arranged in what looked like a horseshoe. The desks were covered in various toys. 

“It’s not much, but it is home to some of my happiest memories.” he said as he shut the door from behind him as we left the room.

“It must be nice…” I thought outloud.

“There is a closet over here that people use to store things too…” he started to say as he was about to open the door only to shutter for a moment. “Just a small tip, knock before you open any of the closets on campus, okay?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Oh, you know… G-ghosts, I guess…”

“Wait… this place is haunted too!?” My eyes grew wide. I was a believer in the paranormal.

Jirard then knocked on the door and opened it before I could object. As he opened it, the closet revealed a man in a white lab coat and what looked like a fox mask perched on his head. He gave an eerie smile to the both of us. Jirard simply waved to the man and said a quick hello before shutting the door again. “Sorry if he scared you. Anyways, that is it for the tour! How was it?” 

“It was great…” I said slowly, my eyes still on the closet. “The tour was great. I learned so much about the school. I doubt I am going to get lost again any time soon. I feel much more grounded, now.”

“No problem, not at all. I like helping out. I wish someone had shown me around when I first got here. You have no _idea_ how long it took me to find all the campus’s secret tunnels and make a complete map of the campus.”

“Oh, this campus has tunnels too?” I asked, remembering the rumor from my old school about how tunnels were made because of the Cold War.

“Yeah! Oh, man, I have got to show you…” He started off before he glanced at the clock. “Darn, I need to get started on my homework, but if you need more help, I’m here for you!” He then pulled out a notebook and scribbled on it for about five minutes. When he handed it to me, he pointed out a long list of ways I could contact him. “I’ll see you later, Yunna. It was great hanging out with you.”

“Same here…” I said as I saw he also put down his parent’s number for some reason.

I watched him walk off, putting the paper in my pocket before facing the closet again. I then clasped my hands together and sent good vibrations towards the door. I made a mental note to never open the closets here and headed back to my dorm, happy I could finally get there without anyone’s help.

I climbed into bed and checked that my alarm was set to five the next morning, not wanting to get off track on my exercise routine already. 

_Tomorrow is another day… The first one in a long time I am looking forward to..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like how the story is going. I have also decided the writing order that I am going to do for the boys. I am going to write it in the order I had completed in my run of the game. The turn order will be: PBG, Jon, Jared, Continue, Shane, Satch, Jirard, Hidden, and Secret. I will also only be doing the best routes because if I did all of them I would drop dead in no time... So... I hope you look forward to it!


	4. Day Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna has a chat with Jared and she learns about a new mobile game. We also get a little insight on Yunna's backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! I hope you enjoy it!

The day started off fairly normal. My morning walk was much smoother now that I knew my way around. It also didn’t hurt to see that all my nodes had been pretty much been left alone. 

Mai and I walked our way into Poppy hall for class, the first thing I noticed where all the lockers were now plastered with posters of Jared’s handsome mug. The neon colors that surrounded his face made it hard to look at, the letters that combined to say ‘Fashion Show’ was now burned into my retinas. I walked over to where I thought would be my locker, it’s entire door covered with the poster. 

“How am I supposed to get my books out, Mai?” I asked, only to turn around and see her staring at it with her mouth open and a lewd blush that rivaled my embarrassed one. “Mai…” I called again, snapping my fingers in front of her. My sister mode then kicked in. “MAI!”

She had finally blinked, looking at me as she used her hand to wipe her chin. “Was… was I drooling?”

“No, Mai…”

“Good. What if Jared saw me?”

“Why are there so many posters up for anyway?” I asked as I carefully started to peel away a corner of the poster.

“Well, last year Jared put on a Fashion show.” She said as she leaned against the locker in front of me, watching me work. “Looks like he is going to be doing it again this year.”

“Huh. So, he is into fashion?”

“He’s not.”

I stopped in the middle of taking off the second corner to look at Mai, wondering if she was kidding or not. I was hoping she would elaborate but she just ended up gushing over Jared again, telling me another one of her famous stories. I finally freed the second corner, allowing me access to my locker once more.

But before I could open the locker door, a smooth hello was thrown in our direction, the voice belonging to no one else but Jared. I grimaced at my locker as Mai quickly turned around to turn a faint pink.

_Please… It is way too early for this…_

I did my best to smile as I turned to face him, squinting my eyes just enough to block the sparkles from blinding me.

“I see you are admiring my totally sweet posters.” He said, looking at the both of us.

“Yep, you sure got us. And here I was hoping to sneak a poster for us to keep.” I said as I shrugged, coming up with the cover story on the spot.

“Well, you are more then free to take one. But just one. And only because you know such a kind and generous fella like myself.”

“I-I like your abs…” Mai mumbled, clearly not thinking straight. She then realized what she said aloud, a look of pure distress and resentment toward herself now showing. I then quickly took the rest of the poster down and handed it to Mai in hopes she could use it to hide from Jared.

“Thanks.” He said, unmoved by her random statement. Apparently he was used to making girls blabber about silly things like that. The then turned to me. “But, Yunna, it was you I wanted to speak to.”

“Okay. Shoot.” I shrugged.

Jared then looked at Mai, waiting for something to happen.

She just stood there.

I then pretended to look through my bag, gasping loudly. “Oh, Mai! I forgot my tablet! Do you think you can go get it for me? I’ll owe you one.”

She didn’t udder a word as she scampered away. Jared then looked at me, giving me a cool look. 

_Does he not realize what effect he has on some people?_

“I wanted to talk to you about the fashion show, actually.” He said as he leaned on the locker Mai had a moment ago. “You’re new here and all, so you probably don’t know, but every year I like to put on a fashion show to showcase my modeling skills. You know, just to make sure people don’t forget what I am capable of.”

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stack of glossy five by sevens and handed them to me. I then started to flip through them, a smile growing on my face with each photo I looked at. I noticed they had a certain… quality to them. It made it so hard not to laugh.

“As you can tell,” He continued, “my beauty is something that simply can’t go to waste. I like to hold a fashion show every year so everyone can get their yearly dose of ProJared.”

“Jared, I-I can’t tell you how great these photos are… Really. They’re great. Just… great.” I said with the straightest face I could. I was really tempted to keep one, but I handed the stack back to him. “And this has something to do with me, how?”

He smiled smoothy. “You’re perfect. I think you have potential, Yunna.”

_At what? Embarrassing myself in front of people? I think I have that down pat._

He then started to lean close to me, almost pinning me to the lockers. I could smell an earthy cologne on him, mixed with what smelled like ham for some reason. Maybe I was just hungry since I decided to skip breakfast this morning.

“Puh… P-Potential for what?” I asked, gulping the air.

He then leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear, the heat of his breath brushing against me. “For _greatness…_ ”

I felt myself stiffen up, paralyzed on the spot. 

_Tooclosetooclosetooclosetooclose!!!_

I was finally able to think as he then pulled away, pulling out what looked like a business card. 

“My card. My number’s on the bottom. If you are ever interested, I could teach you a thing or two about modeling.” He handed it to me, my grip very ginger on the stiff white square. I then watched him walk away, giving a lazy wave as he did. I finally took a breath that I didn’t even know I was holding back, heading into the classroom now. By the time it took me to file through the mass of students just hanging out before class, Mai was sitting at her desk still shell shocked at the ordeal. She was resting her face on her desk. I took a seat next to her and poked her in the cheek.

“What kind of flavor cake do you like?” I asked, continuing to poke her.

“What?” She said as she finally snapped out of her stupor.

I repeated the question for her. “I feel like baking. I was wondering what flavor you liked so I can make it.”

She then groaned. “Why are you talking about cake at a time like this? I’m a social disaster.”

“No you are not. You just had a brain fart. Everyone gets them. Besides, cake makes everything better.” I said as I rolled my eyes, playing with the card in my hand.

“What’s that?” She asked. I handed her the card. She looked it over about ten times before realizing what it was. It was like she was examining a delicate piece of art never seen before. I then heard her inhale, preparing myself for what was to come. 

“HE GAVE YOU HIS NUMBER!?”

“He gave it to me in case I wanted to learn how to model. I think you have a much better chance, Mai. You are so much more confident then I am.You have the figure too…” I mumbled.

I expected her to agree with me. But she didn’t.

“He totally wants to get with you.”

This threw me for a loop. “Why?” I asked as I tilted my head.

“Oh, Yunna, I have taken enough sex-ed classes to know when a guy fully wants you, and Jared, like, _fully_ wants you.”

“Mai… No!” I then plug my ears. “La-la-la, I’m not listening, la-la-la-LA!”

I did my best to drown Mai out, seeing Jon and PBG now looking at me from the corner of my eye as I start to sing the main theme from Calamari Dahmacy.

“I am talking about serious grabby hands in the back of his dad’s Camaro here, Yunna. You are going to be making babies with ProJared.”

“Why must to torture me like this, Mai?!”

“ _Little...glittering...Jared babies._ ”

“Nuuuuuuuu!” I said with my arms around my head, breathing a sigh of relief when Ms.Shizuka finally walked into the classroom, watching as she started the day’s lecture.

*****************************************************************************************************

Class had finally ended for the day, my stomach feeling like it was tied up in knots by the time Mai and I were walking to the cafeteria. I was only really half-listening to Mai as she went on about how Ms.Shizuka had a bad break up. I was much more interested in what they were serving today. 

“Seriously!” Mai shouted as we walked through the line, “he spent all his time trying to decide between her and some dead chick who only went out with her because he looked like her ex. I mean, who does that?!”

“Uh-huh…” I said absent-mindedly as I lifted my tray, the two of us now hovering in the middle of the cafeteria, focused on the Normal Boots table. Normally, I would have just looked for another seat without a second thought to avoid confrontation, but today was an exception. My stomach was in charge today. I then headed to the table, Mai trailing behind me. 

“Hi guys!” I said as I took the closest seat next to Satch, tearing open my chopsticks and splitting them apart. 

“Hey, girl. How was class?” Satch asked as I took the first bite of food I had today. 

I chewed fast so I could reply to him in a timely manner. “Good!” 

Satch nodded and resumed the conversation that he was having with Josh, leaving me to my food. I continued to eat bite after bite, looking around the table as I did. My eyes then locked with PBG’s, who stared back with the same look one would give a stray animal. I then noticed I already eaten through half of my food, consciously slowing down now. 

“You-” PBG started to say before he was interrupted by Paul’s exclamation of cookies.

“You brought us cookies!” Paul then gave Jirard a half hug as he took one from the tray he was carrying. “You’re the best, Jirard!”

“Whoa!” Jirard said as he tried to keep the tray balanced in his hands, “Calm down! There is plenty enough to go around.” He then started to pass around the cookies, pausing for a moment when he saw me and Mai. “Hm? You’re back again?” 

I was in mid-bite yet again, nodding. 

“Well, here.” He then handed the both of us a cookie each before turning heading out across the cafeteria before I could object.

_He didn’t really have to do that… I’m not even a fan of chocolate chip…_

I stared at the cookie, feeling it’s gooey warmth in my hands. I started to feel bad now. Here I thought they were expecting us when we really just dropped in out of nowhere. I wished I could give the cookie back or give it to who it was supposed to go to.

“HEY!” I heard a short, skinny looking boy shout, “Watch where you are going next time!”

“I’m sorry, I’ll try and be more careful…” Jirard looked a bit sheepish, the other boy now holding his tray above his head. 

My breath caught, thoughts of him getting that tray dumped on his head coming to mind. 

“Oh. You - You’re from Normal Boots…” Said the boy as he examined his jacket, sneering, “You’re the one who plays with Itty Bitty Kitties, aren’t you? How the hell did you end up in a group like that?”

“Hm?” Jirard then smiled. “They are my friends, of course.”

“Playing with those stupid dolls…” He glared at him. “You’re an embarrassment.”

I could feel the fury of sisterly emotions building up, memories of my past flooding my mind. It was then I saw the boy’s friends trying to pull him away from Jirard, hitting his shoulders as they glanced between the table behind him and Jirard.

“I like what I like. I think they are fun!” Jirard said happily before the short boy was pulled away by his friends at last, leaving Jirard to sit at the table.

“That was weird.” He said as he bit into his cookie, blowing the whole situation off. My heart really went out to him. When I turned back to look at the boy who made fun of him, he was sitting at a table alone.

 _Ha! Instant karma…_ I thought as I felt much better now. “Wow, that guy was rude.”

“Oh, that? I used to get it all the time.” Jirard said without a second thought. “I collect Itty Bitty Kitty figurines - you know that kid’s show about the five kittens who live in Kittentown? They were originally supposed to have magic powers, but… whatever. I collect their figurines. They’re so cute!”

I was a bit taken aback. I wasn’t used to guys referring to anything other than girls as ‘cute’.

Jirard sighed. “I’ve almost got them all. The only one I am missing is Princess Pumpernickel. She’s the rarest.”

I looked back to the boy, then back at Jirard, mulling over my next words carefully. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“It looks kind of weird, right? A teenage boy collecting toys that are meant for little girls? But I like them, so I don’t let it bother me. Sorry I didn’t bring enough cookies the first time, Yunna. I forgot that you were going to be joining us again today, so I am glad you are here!”

The last of my sisterly anger then dissipated. 

_He is too pure for this world…_

“Hey, your cookie is going to get cold if you don’t eat it.” He pointed out. 

I decided to take a bite, tasting hints of cinnamon and chocolate intermingle. It was the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever had!

Jirard then whispered something so funny to Nick that he had done a spit-take.

I reminisced on the days that my brothers would come home crying when they were bullied at school. I used to be bullied myself, but I had developed a thick skin after so many years. It was one thing to do it to me, but doing it to my family was unforgivable. It was funny on how I barely knew Jirard for a few days, yet I already feel close enough that I want to protect him. I then finished my cookie and went back to my yakisoba. 

“Yunna, can you pass me the pepper?” Jared asked in a deep, sultry voice that made my heart leap.

“I got it!” Mai said as she then handed him the shaker. “Here, Jared.”

“Thanks… Uh, what was your name again?” He asked.

“It’s Mai.” I told him grabbing Mai’s and Jared’s hands and putting them together to shake. “Mai Sasaki, Jared. Jared, Mai.”

“Thanks, Mai.” Jared said as he then started to use the pepper. 

I turned to Mai, expecting her to have an elated face from having had contact with Jared’s hand but was greeted with a small frown before she perked right back up. 

“Yunna, are you ready to head back?” She asked.

I look down at my last few bites, lifting the bowl to my mouth as I then shoved the last of my meal down. I then gave her a nod as I chewed, now standing up to throw our trays on the track. As we waved back to Normal Boots, with Jirard happily waving back, I finally realized something. 

_Was she upset that Jared knew my name before hers?_

*****************************************************************************************************

Mai sped off as soon as class ended, claiming that she had volleyball practice. I didn’t mind too much now that I knew where I was going. It was nice to have the room to myself for once. After everything that happened today, I had wanted some time for something I hadn’t been able to do for ages: write.

I booted up my laptop, looking through my phone to get some good writing music when it started to ring. I saw Hana’s smiling face show on my screen. 

“Hana! Hey! What’s up?” I asked as I opened up my last document I was working on.

_“Yunna! Did I catch you at a bad time?”_

“Of course not! If you did, I wouldn’t have answered, silly.”

_”Yeah, you’re right. Hey, I wanted to ask if you have Dumbidoom’s Revenge on your phone."_

“No. What is that, a mobile game?”

I never really played many games with my phone since it wasted battery power. I was a nut when it came to having a fully charged phone.

_”Yeah! Your brothers installed it on there for me and I have been hooked ever since! I was hoping that maybe we can play together since it has a co-op mode.”_

I scrolled down to the end of the document, re-reading what I had last written. “Really? I see my brothers are not driving you crazy yet.”

_”Well, they do have their moments, but they have been really sweet other wise.”_

“Okay, tell you what, I will give the game a go. If I like it, I will let you know, okay?”

_”Okay!”_

“Anything else you want to talk about before I hang up?”

_”Oh! Your mom wants to know if you want her to send you anything. She wants to send a care package."_

I thought for a moment. “Can you tell her that I want my ‘Go’ bag and my scooter? I want to explore the town on the weekends if I get the chance… OH! And a box of that tamarindo candy I like.”

Hana giggled at how I said ‘tamarindo’ with a true mexican accent. _”Okay! Will do! It was nice talking to you, Yunna! Make sure to get back to me after trying the game."_

“Right. Talk to you soon!”

_”Bye!”_

I then pushed the end call button, tapping the folder that had the app store icon. I then typed in the first half of Dumbidoom before it auto-completed it for me. 

**_Dumbidoom’s Revenge!! Face off against three other players as you catch monsters, raise them, and use their unique skills to aid you on your puzzle solving quest! Only YOU can save the Metaworld from its king and utter destruction!_ **

_Huh, it sounds like Access but with puzzle based combat instead of capture the point..._

**_Now with single-player campaign! Raise crops to feed your monsters! If you are lucky, they may transform into cute girls!_ **

I laughed. “I know what demographic they were aiming for now!” I hit the download button and waited for it to install. As I did, I wrote a few paragraphs to my story, hearing a familiar ding when it was finished. I then started the game up.

 ** _”Welcome to Dumbidoom’s Revenge!”_** the starting screen said. I tapped single-player, a loading screen showing a bouncing creature in a spinning cog taking the menu’s place. I was able to write a bit more as I waited.

_These loading times suck..._

A cartoon-styled landscape then appeared. I then hit the button combination to save my work before I picked my phone back up. I then watched as it panned over to a castle that was in the distance. It then zoomed in to show a pathetically lazy king asleep on his throne as a dozen knights ran into the royal chamber. 

**_”King Dumbidoom! Our kingdom is under attack!”_** They shouted. 

**_”Oh, just send off the First Battalion, please… I am rather tired..."_ **

The knights left, transitioning the screen to a world map covered in black blobs to the right, the knights on the left side being devoured in seconds. I watched as another group was eaten, the scene now fading back to the king in his castle, his rest interrupted again. 

The king then turned to the screen. ** _”You! Only you can save my kingdom!”_**

“Yeah, yeah. I’m the only one who can save the kingdom from the monsters, but I can’t save it from you…” I commented, not expecting it to answer back.

**_”How DARE you!”_ **

_I don’t remember this app asking for microphone permissions..._

**_”You are no longer my adviser! Go back to your home village and let me deal with this myself!"_ **

I then watched as a sprite with brown hair launch into the air and land in a field, bouncing a few times comically after until they landed in a small bunch of red roofed houses. 

**_”I guess I am just going to have to raise an army of monsters, overthrow the king, then make an army big enough to handle the Bloopity Bloobs..."_ **

“Seriously?” I said as I saw another loading screen before it showed the tutorial. The screen was covered in different colored blocks with starter monsters that could only attack with their corresponding color. From what it looks like, I could only use traps when a certain amount of matches were made. When monsters got to a higher level, they could set traps as well along with getting buffs for yourself and de-buffs for your foe. 

When an attractive girl was on your team, you could use them to speed up your opponent's block generation or half their playtime… but was a double edged sword since your opponent could do the same. There was also monster evolution and secret combinations between girls and monsters.

“Hm… Well, game, I see that you have issued a challenge… Well, challenge accepted!”

*****************************************************************************************************

The game was much harder than I first thought, failing the tutorial stage at least five times. I had finally gotten the hang of it when I got to the first real level of the game. Around thirty levels later, my concentration was interrupted with another phone call. I picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” I answered as I swiped my finger against the board, sending another barrage of attacks. 

_”Yunna? Are you playing?”_ Hana said as I activated my girl’s ability. “Oh, hey Hana! You were right about this game. I can’t put it down.”

_”How long have you been playing it?”_

“After we got off the phone until now.”

_”You’ve been playing for FOUR HOURS!?”_

That is when I looked up from my screen, my laptop now in sleep mode and dusk started to settle outside.

“AH! I didn’t know I played for that long! I have homework!”

_”He-he-he. Well, it is good to know you like it! Send me your friend code through a text and we can play later.”_

“Okay. But I better get off and get to work. We can play later.”

_”Sounds good! Later!”_

I then hung up and grabbed my textbook, visions of colored blocks still in my mind’s eye. I then plugged in the charger to my phone before opening a radio app on my phone and adjusting it to a local station that sounded like it was playing classical music. I felt myself nodding off after reading the first few paragraphs of my Astronomy textbook, Schubert slowly lulling me to sleep. 

_Why is the moon falling so many times? And why are we talking about time-travel theory in a third year classroom?_

Mai then scared the living daylights out of me when she burst into the room and grabbed my phone.

“What are you doing!?” I shouted, panicking as she was messing with my baby.

“Gimmee just a second! We’re missing it!” she said as she finally finished. “There we go!”

PBG’s voice then started to blair out of the speaker. “But I swear, that dog was the living worst!”

“That is why you need a bird,” Jon laughed, “Like my lovely Jacques.”

“ _Watch your tongue._ ”

I looked at Mai, hoping that she did not bug their room with a listening device or something.

“So, the time has come to make an official announcement.” Jon said in a professional tone. “This year, like any other year, the Normal Boots Club will be participating in the video game tournament!”

PBG shouted in applause as he said “I hope you guys will support us again this year, and best of luck to our competitors.”

“You guys are going DOWWWWWN!” Jon shouted before PBG introduced a song.

Mai handed me back my phone that was still on the radio app I was using.

“What was that?” I asked as I noted the stations number. 

“PB&J” she said matter-of-factly, “It’s PBG’s and Jon’s radio show. Everyone listens to it. Thank goodness you have a radio app on your phone. I don’t have the memory on mine.”

“What do they do on it?”

“Oh, you know. They talk. And stuff. And they play music sometimes!”

“And what is this about a video game tournament?”

“They were talking about it earlier today…”

“I was… kind of busy eating to pay attention…”

Mai then put her hands on her hips. “Every year they hold a video game tournament in Higanbana mall. Lots of people come to compete, but everyone knows the real fight is between the Normal Boots Club and the Hidden Block Club.”

“Is that all they do?” I asked as I cleared all the apps that were currently running on my phone.

“Yeah. No one has joined them since their inception. Well, I guess party they’re a group of friends that happened to make a club together. But also, unless you are insanely talented, you would just drag them down.”

I shrugged. “I know what that feels like.”

“Not all of them are so harsh…” She backtracked. “But some of them… well…”

I had a feeling I knew who she was talking about. “That’s okay. I’m not too big on competition anyway…” I then remembered the conversation Jimmy and Caddy had. I was still new here, why did they think that I was good enough to join an elite team like that? Besides, the last time I was in a serious competition… things ended badly.

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When I was younger, way before my brothers were born, my uncle introduced me to anime and video games to entertain myself. I was never into anything that was popular with the kids in my neighborhood. While I was learning how to be a ninja and other parts of Japanese culture, other kids were interested in sports or makeup or becoming popular with everyone.

As I got older, and after a years worth of school drama classes, I joined the drama club. I had even managed to get the main part for the statewide drama competition. But, my act was sabotaged by a girl who didn’t get the part. It was so bad that we lost the competition and from then on the entire school ignored me.

I vowed never to go into any competition that lightly ever again.

From then on, I secluded myself in my own little world that only Japan can aspire to until my brothers were born. I did not a single friend to my name save for one I managed to make online through an MMO and my childhood best friend, Violet, who moved to the town over the year before my drama debacle. 

I had to grow up pretty fast after my mother learned of our father cheating on her after my brothers were born. I had raised them as if they were my own, my mom having to work to keep us afloat. I didn’t have time for clubs after school anymore. All I did was take care of the housework and my homework day in and out. 

My brothers noticed this hollow existence when they were old enough to understand.

If it wasn’t for those two along with the encouragement from my uncle and mother, I would have applied to the scholarship to Asago, nor would I have met Hana at the interview for it. My brothers were finally old enough to help around the house and walk to school by themselves. 

I had always dreamed of going to Japan ever since I learned that is where anime was made, but to be going to school there… 

I knew it would cost so much yet we still managed...

It was a dream that I didn’t want to wake up from.

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“Well, you never know what could happen.” Mai said as she giggled when I gave her a quizzical look. “Well, since I just got back, I better get to work.”

“Work…” I mumbled, just realizing that the project PBG and I were supposed to be working on was still due and we hadn’t worked on it at all. I pulled out the assignment and started to work out a plan, wanting something to fall back on if PBG didn’t have things under control despite what he said. 

I’m sure he is a trustworthy person. It’s not his fault.

I was just burned too many times by people before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really rolling along, aren't they? And looks like Yunna has another game to be addicted to now (as if she needed another one...). Well... see you next week!


	5. Day Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna's day starts off with shenanigans early in the morning. She also has a heart to heart with Shane (kinda), PBG, and Mai!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, it is way too early for these shenanigans. Enjoy!

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

I groaned as I heard knocking on the door.

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

“Go away…” I moaned as I covered my head.

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

I sighed as I got up from bed, Mai snoring away. I glanced at my phone, noting it was way too early. It was so early, it was still fifteen minutes before my alarm went off.

I moodily opened the door. "¿Qué?"

It took me a moment to realize who was in front of me, the sound of Mai snoring in background.

“It’s about time!” Josh said in a wig that matched his hair, his voice a slightly higher octave then normal. “Oh, honey…”

“Uh…” I blurted out as the light was turned on, Nick and Paul now entering our room as well.

“Yunna, I feel terrible about ruining your uniform.” Paul said as the other two started to rummage around, Mai now turning in her sleep, “Sincerely! We owe you an apology and a clean uniform. I’m not good at this kind of thing, so I brought my friend to help me.”

I looked at Josh. “Um… I don’t mean to be rude, but what pronouns do you go by?”

“Don’t worry about that now, darling. Call me Joshualina.” Joshualina said as my underwear draw was now being rifled through.

“Okay! Look, my uniform is not in there, okay!?” I said as I rushed over, trying to snatch my underwear back. 

“These panties are just perfect for you!” Joshualina cooed.

I then started emit a high pitched squeak of embarrassment.

“Where is your uniform?" Nick asked, pushing him away from the closet. 

I then pulled the now dry, slightly sticky green tinted uniform, shoving it in their direction. 

Joshualina, or Josh, or whoever they were supposed to be took it from my grasp. “This is no problem. I promise I’ll have this clean in no time. Girls?” He snapped as he motioned to follow him.

Paul, Nick, and Josh then left our room, only to turn left, towards the girl’s bathroom. I bolted after them, not bothering to put on shoes or slippers. 

_Who knows what they would do if I left them to their own devices!?_

The bathroom door closed just as I reached it, yanking it open just in time to hear Mimi Santos scream. 

“AAAAAAAAAAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?!”

I watched as Paul and Nick were slammed into the wall next to the door.

“Men like you are the worst!” Mimi shouted.

“No!” Paul pleaded. “This is all a complete misundertandi-”

“I’m sure it was!”

“There you are!” I shouted, walking up to them in a huff. “I told you guys to turn _right,_ not left!” I then looked for Josh. “Um, Mimi… did you see a third person with these guys?”

“She’s doing something with a uniform in the sink.” she said as she huffed, tossing her hair back as she headed back in.

“See what you guys did!?” I shouted loud enough for Mimi to hear through the door, motioning Paul and Nick to play along. “I told you guys I had it under control. But no… You two know everything…” We did this for a few minutes.

I then leaned in to whisper. “Does she really think Josh is a girl?”

Nick howled with laughter. “She wouldn’t be the first.”

“Josh himself believes he is a girl.” Paul added. “That wig is magical.”

“Well, you should keep out of the girl’s bathroom. I highly doubt that would reflect very well for the school president.” I saw Paul's face fall into shadow. “I’ll do damage control. Just go back to your dorm, please?”

“Thank you so much, Yunna!”

I waved Paul and Nick away, turning around to head into the bathroom.

“Hey, Joshualina?” 

I turned the corner, seeing Josh fixing Mimi’s hair. “Oh my gosh...”

_He has a way with hair…_

“In a second, Yunna. I just need to finish this up.” He said as he combed through her hair.

“Have you met Joshualina?” Mimi asked as she looked into the mirror. “She’s so good with hair! And look, she even got this really bad stain out of this shirt!” She then lifted my uniform.

“Joshualina, you are a miracle worker!” I cooed.

“It’s no problem, honey.”

“I’ll let you finish. Oh, and Mimi, I scolded the guys for you. I swear I gave them exact instructions on where to meet me and Joshualina later on today… When I said five, I meant in the _afternoon_.” I gave off a sigh. “You think you can keep this to yourself?"

“Why wouldn’t I?” Mimi sneered.

“Because they were just being good class reps.” I explained, hoping that I was keeping on a good glass mask, “They really went above and beyond to try and make a student feel welcome. I guess they didn’t want to wake me up since I was asleep. So I guess this is partly my fault…”

“Oh, well, I guess that is fine then.”

“Do you mind? I need to concentrate to finish this.” Josh said as picked up a lock of Mimi’s hair.

“Oh, sorry. And thanks, Mimi. I’ll leave you two to it.” I gave them a smile and wave before leaving to go back to my room.

_Things are not going to get any easier around here, is it?_

Mai was still asleep by the time I gotten back. I looked at the clock and saw that it was too late for me for my walk this morning, so I decided to skip for the day. I dressed in my uniform and headed to class, wanting to work on the class project.

*****************************************************************************************************

I started getting a few things I would need for the project out of my locker. I know PBG had good intentions, but it was driving me crazy on how we haven’t even started yet. The least I can do was get started on a base. I stepped into the empty classroom, closing the door quietly behind me. 

I then heard a snap of a pencil, looking up and seeing Shane giving me a look. “Do you mind? I’m trying to work.”

“Sorry…” I mumbled out, wishing that I hadn’t closed the door behind me. I then walked over to my desk, my footsteps quiet for someone my size, and sat down. I closed my eyes and just breathed for a bit, my old habits kicking in. 

_Ignore him and he will ignore you back…_

“This is the quietest place I can find in the mornings…” He said, addressing me.

I opened my eyes to look at him. “Oh, really? I’m sorry if I am bothering you. I can leave if you want me to...”

He shook his head. “You’re fine. Do whatever.”

I nodded, my curiosity growing. “What are you working on?”

He just looked at me, as if he not expecting me to ask that. He then waved me over to join him at his desk. As I got closer, I noticed various papers scattered all over his desk, each one of them covered in sketches, outlines, and handwritten notes. They looked like outlines for comics. 

“Oh, cool! Are you aspiring to become a mangaka?”

He shrugged.

“What is it about?”

He shrugged again. “Whatever.”

I tried not to pout, saying the next thing that came to mind. “Where are you from?”

Shane then gave a heavy sigh. “You can’t tell from my accent? I’m from England. This is my second year.”

“I mean more specifically…” I trailed off as I watched him start to sketch the Union Jack on what I guessed to be a kind of government building. “It’s really hard moving to a new country…”

He finished shading in a shadow in the flag. “I guess. My whole family is back there.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean… So, why did you come here?” I asked, planning on telling him my reason afterward.

He simply dismissed the question by pointing out class was about to start. I just gave him a nod and returned to my own desk. 

The door suddenly slammed open, making me flinch.

“Hey, look!” Jon said as he waved. “We got here early!”

 _”Wonderful.”_ said Jacques. I couldn’t tell his inflection because of his robotic voice.

“Oh! Yunna! Shane!” Jon grinned as he saw us, “Looks like it is just the four of us. We should stir up some trouble!”

“Trouble? What kind?” I asked.

“Let’s plant an egg on Miss Shizuka’s chair, eh? I bet she’d think it is hilarious!”

Shane interjected. “No.”

“Aw, come on!” Jon whined, “I bet I could find an exploding bird or two to dive bomb on us during class.”

“No.” Shane stressed.

I decided to throw in my own idea. “You could... make her a lunch?”

“Filled with knives!” Jon ended.

Shane glared at Jon. “Really? The heck is wrong with you?”

“What did a poor lunchbox to do you?” I asked him as he shrugged.

As the classroom started to fill up with students, I wondered if Shane was homesick. I was just as far away from my family and I was missing them badly. Mai sat next to me, asking why I had left without her. I told her about what had happened after I left the room. She had gotten a good laugh out of the situation.

Class was about to start, but I felt like something was missing. I then looked around the room and saw that PBG wasn’t in his seat. The bell rang and Ms. Shizuka started her lecture, PBG still nowhere to be found.

*****************************************************************************************************

Ms.Shizuka was now on a tangent on how it was unfair how overpowered characters could be in an MMO simply because they had payed real life money to get their items.

“She must’ve gotten stood up again.” Mai commented.

I glanced over to PBG’s seat again, class now almost over. No one really seemed to care about it. I expected at least one person to ask about it. At least the teacher. I remembered how when I asked Jon during lunch, he just said that he always skipped class. Did anyone care about his well-being? 

At the sound of the bell, Ms. Shizuka jumped. “Oh, well, um… turn in a two page reflection on why the human species as a whole has the emotion range of a teaspoon, due tomorrow.”

“She definitely got stood up.” I commented back to Mai before jogging over to her desk. “Um, Ms. Shizuka?”

She then looked up at me as she gathered her papers. “Yes, Yunna?”

“PBG wasn’t in class today… I can take him the handouts and notes from today’s class for you if...:”

“Yunna, you are a godsend.” she said as she laughed and pulled me into a hug over her desk. I didn’t stiffen up like I usually would. “It is wonderful to see our Youth have hope.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yunna.” She then pulled away from me, looking me dead in the eyes. “Don’t give up on love. If PBG is the one you want, you have my blessing. Here are the handouts from today! Bless your heart.”

“I think there is a misunderstanding here…” I said as she gathered up the rest of her things and dashed out the door, sobbing.

“Ha! Poor thing.” Mai said as she walked up to me. “She must have really liked this one.”

“Does this happen often?” I asked as I looked at the papers in my hand.

“Often enough. You taking those to PBG?”

I nodded. “Yeah, she left before I could ask which dorm he was in. I hope she will be okay…”

“He is in 402.”

I turned my head to Mai. “And you know this, how?”

“It’s next to Jared’s room.” She admitted, “So, of course I’d notice him leaving in the mornings.”

“Say no more.”

“I’ve got tryouts, so I won’t be able to go with you. Good luck, though. I’m sure that he will be happy to see _you._

I rolled my eyes, watching her as she left the classroom.

*****************************************************************************************************

“400...401...402~!”

I paused for a moment, my knuckles about to hit the door. 

_What if he doesn’t want these? I know he doesn’t like school, but he needs to keep up somewhat of a grade. But then again, what if he was sick? He could be having a really bad fever… Jon was doing his drama club thing and won’t be back for a while to check on him…_

I knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” A muffled voice asked.

“It’s Yunna. I brought you the handouts from class…”

The door swung open, PBG beaming he towered over me. We both said our hellos before he offered me inside. I gave him a small bow as I accepted, excusing my intrusion. I looked around the room, many of the elements in it reminded me of my brothers. Posters of sports and games lined the walls. One of the beds was covered in Harvest Noon plushies. The TV that was against the wall was displaying Turbie waving happily on the pause menu.

“You were playing games?”

“Uh? Oh, yeah!” PBG said as he sat down on the couch that was in the middle of the room after closing the door. “I didn’t feel like going to class today, so I thought I would stay in and do some work.”

“This is work?” 

“Well, we do have a tournament coming up, so this kind of counts.”

I nodded. “I brought you your handouts and made notes for you anyway. I can e-mail them to you if you want.”

“Oh, thanks!” He said as he took them and placed them on his desk next to a stack of manga.

“I’m glad you're doing okay.”

“You thought I was sick? I’m sorry… But that is kind of adorable, so I’m kind of happy about it.”

I giggled. “Yeah, it’s kind of a habit.”

“Do you want to hang out? We have to work on our project sometime, right?”

“That sounds like a great idea.” I said as I pulled out my tablet. “I got started on the draft already. I figured you could do most of the other half.”

“Great!” he said as he patted a pillow beside him. “Do you want to play?”

“I’m good. I can just watch for now.” I shrugged. I never liked messing around in other people’s saves. It was like messing with their stuff.

He then made a slightly disappointed look. “Hm. Okay then.” He then unpaused the game, Turbie now sprinting across the screen and dove mouth first on a flaming enemy. We soon forgot about our project. I watched quietly as he played, only speaking up when I saw a collectable or a breakable wall that he missed or offering encouragement when he died. 

My phone rang after a while, Hana’s smile filling my screen. PBG gawked as he saw it. “Is that you with pink hair?” He asked.

I giggled. “No. That’s Hana. I mentioned her earlier. Want to meet her?”

“Yes!” He said as I pushed the video conference button. “

Hi, Hana!”

 _”Hey!”_ She replied as she waved, noticing she was on camera now. _“I wanted to let you know that your package is on it’s way!”_

“That’s great! Have you made any friends at school?”

_”Not too many. Your friend Violet has been great.”_

“I know, isn’t she?” Then tilted the camera to include PBG in the shot. “Hana, this is PBG.”

_”Nice to meet you.”_

PBG paused for a moment, his face a little contorted. “It’s… nice to meet you too…”

_”Anyway, that is all that I wanted to tell you. I can see you are... busy. I’ll talk to you later.”_

We then said our goodbyes. “I can’t believe she forgotten about me…” PBG said sadly.

“You know her?”

He nodded. “Yeah, we used to be childhood friends… That is kind of why I freaked out when I saw you. You look so similar. It wasn’t until I saw that you had brown eyes that I knew it wasn’t you.”

“That explains a few things. It is kind of sweet to remember a detail like that.” I said as I pulled up her Skaip information, writing it down on a sticky note pad he had on his desk before peeling it off and handing it to him. “Maybe if you two talk more, she'll remember.”

“You’d really do that for me?” He asked, a kind look in his eye.

“Of course!”

We then noticed the sun started to slowly set, signaling me to head home.

“Thanks. You are welcome back anytime!” PBG offered, “Actually, we are having a Stomping Sisters tournament in two days. You are more than welcome to join us.”

“That sounds cool! I’ll definitely come.”

“Awesome!” He said as he fist-bumped the air. “It’ll be around noon. I’ll see you there!”

I walked out of the dorm, the warm air brushing my skin as the smell of freshly cut grass made me sneeze. 

*****************************************************************************************************

I walked into my room, opening the door and hearing Mai shuffle around. “Hey, Mai. Did you ace tryouts?”

She then wrapped her hands around my eyes. “AH! Don’t look!”

Strangely, I didn’t panic at all when she did this. “Um, okay… My eyes are closed”

“Just follow my lead, okay?” She then let my eyes go, checking to make sure that they were closed before pushing me toward something. “Careful, you’ll wreck it.”

“It would be easier if I could see…”

“Okay, almost there. Down.” she said as she bent me forward and pushed me into something with a roof. “Annnd…. Tada!”

I opened my eyes. “A pillow fort!” 

“I’ve been looking forward to this for AGES. Tryouts already happened. I made the team, easy. I left early so I could set this up.”

“Aw, we should have made it together!”

“Well, I made it for us. You have been such a good friend, Yunna. I am glad we got to be roommates. I wanted to do something to make you feel more at home. I see how you can be sometimes around school. I don’t know what happened in your life, but… Asago is a fresh start, right? You’ve got me, and this school… and Normal Boots too. If you are up to it, this can be your new life. And now? Now is when we can play!”

“Mai…” I started to tear up. It has been so long since I have heard someone call me a friend. I then leaned in to hug her, my body normal as we made contact. “You are one of the first real friend I had made in years!”

“Woah! Be careful! You don’t want to break it. It took me FOR-EV-ER!” She then noticed that I was crying as I hugged her tighter. “HA! I totally knew I would make you cry!” She said as she hugged me back. “Wait, years? Really? I guess that means I was successful. Ah, Mai, you done it again.”

I nodded. “I made a lot of... bad friends... in the past… Back in the states, I was almost a shut-in. I never really went out to interact with anyone. I stayed home and took care of my family. And my best friend since I was a kid had moved away a while ago. It had gotten so bad that... I'm at the point when someone I don’t trust touches me… I… would sometimes have a bad reaction like shoving them away. That’s why I came here… And it is only because my family pushed me into it. They knew that I would be thinking of them first and how everyone would have to give up so much for me to come here to afford it. They wanted me to have a fresh start… And what better place then the land I was obsessed with since I was a kid?” 

The tears really started to flow now, hiccups bubbling in my throat. “And… *hic*… I was so afraid… I thought you wouldn’t like me…*hic* And it is still so hard to *hic* trust people… And to be able to *hic* hug someone like this...” I then hid my face in her shoulder, not wanting to let go.

“Oh, God. Now _I’m_ gonna cry!” she said as she patted my head. “Does this mean you really trust me?”

“I couldn’t hug you like this if I didn’t…” I said as I slowly pulled away from the hug, feeling myself becoming more calm after crying so much.

“I’m so happy!” 

“Yep! And together, we are an unstoppable force of good! Hey! I need to introduce you to Violet! Then me, you, Hana, and her can combine our powers to have some awesome sleepovers!”

“I hear that!”

“And together, we can come up with a plan to hook you and Jared up!”

“Wa-wa-wa-wait, I can’t even talk to him without self-destructing!”

“Don’t worry. The four of us _have_ come up with something. We will make sure that there is no way he couldn’t fall for you.”

“Oh, yeah? And no one has caught your eye yet?” Mai grinned.

“Wha-?”

“I’d say that there’s more than a few suitors on your horizon… Aren’t you going to give it a shot?”

“What about our bet?” I said as I grabbed Bessie and hugged her, looking out the window as if I had never seen the sun before.

“Forget about the stupid bet! I told you I was joking.”

I was quiet for a moment. 

_I have done more things here at Asago then I ever would have done back home. Everything around me was changing so fast. Maybe I could too._

“Maybe… Maybe I should…”

“Awwwww yeah!” Mai cheered, “That is what I am talking about!” She then pulled out her own tablet and placed it on a pillow to prop it up. “Well, I prepared some activities for us to do. We are going to marathon you through Finder X Finder.”

“Only if you watch my favorite movie afterward.”

Mai then touched an app and pushed the play button. “Deal.”

We laughed and enjoyed each others company as we huddled under our blankets. The light outside grew dim, episode after episode playing without stop. I rested my head against Mai as I felt myself falling asleep.

_Anime is so much better when you watch it with someone else…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we end this week on a sweet note! I am happy you have made it this far. I am sorry for the slow going, but I want to make sure that I have a big enough buffer so I can put out chapters without delay. That, and it gives me more time to work on the actual routes when I finish the first half! So please be patient. I may be able to put out entire routes if I am in a good enough grove! Thanks for reading!


	6. Day Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna settles an argument, gets caught, and talks to an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A start to the new day! Let's hope it goes just as good as the last one. (Hint: It kind of doesn't.)

Mai and I were walking to class, poking each other about how sappy we were the other night. Mai even commented on how I was calm that night instead of the usual thrashing I would usually do in my sleep. But as we got closer to Poppy Hall, we noticed something was amiss. The tension in the air was so humid, it made it hard to breathe. 

“Man, what is with everyone today?” Mai asked.

I shrugged. “A test?”

“Not that I know of…” She said as she entered the building first.

When we turned the corner, we saw Paul’s face covering some of the posters of Jared. Further in, we saw the same two now in the middle of a heated argument, a sizable crowd now surrounding them. Nick and Josh were skating along the edge of the hallways, putting up more political posters.

“I thought I told you to stop and take these posters down!” Jared shouted.

Josh turned to answer as he held the poster up for Nick to tape up. “No. What is wrong with you?”

Nick finished taping the poster up as he said “These walls are everyone’s space. We don’t have to listen to you.”

“And you should know this campaign is way more important than your little fashion show.” Josh mocked.

“But mine were here first!” Jared countered.

“Lay off them!” Paul said as he pushed Jared away from them, “This is between you and me, Jared. Leave them out of it! You’ve been taking up wall the wall space with your show. The student elections are much more important. It’s our _government_!”

Jared was livid at this point. “The student government doesn’t even do anything!”

“Woah, woah, woah. As _current_ president, I can say with full knowledge and proper authority that the student government does a ton for this school. You don’t even know, Jared. You don’t even know.”

“Mai, we have to go up there and do some-” I started to say before I noticed that she was missing. “Hey, Mai?” I did a complete 360 before I saw her now rushing ahead of me to try and break them up. 

I was able to push past her and grab both boys ears, tugging them downward and stopping their argument when Mai’s attempt failed. I took a deep breath, channeling my sisterly anger before shouting “STOP ACTING LIKE MY BROTHERS AND BEHAVE LIKE CIVILIZED HUMAN BEINGS!”

They both flinched as they heard how loud my voice had gotten, silence now echoing through the halls. But instead hearing them ask why I had pulled their ears like I expected, they shouted my name before straightening up.

“Sorry, Yunna. I didn’t mean to yell.” Jared apologized as he looked at me then at Paul. “I - _We_ \- want your opinion on something. You are a new student. A regular student. You’re uninvolved.”

Paul nodded. “What do you think is more important? Our student government or the fashion show?”

I took off my glasses to prevent me smudging them as I facepalmed. “Don’t you think that both of these are important? Instead of arguing who gets more wall space, you should be more focused on doing the best on these events. Besides, you could easily just alternate posters on the wall. To be honest, the slapdash way you guys put them up is kind of getting on my nerves…”

“That doesn’t help us.” Jared said.

_Like hell it does! I just solved the problem for you! I don’t even get a thanks._

“Yunna is usually right about these things. You should listen to her.” Mai said as she patted me on the shoulder. 

Jared raised his eyebrow at Mai. “Are you sure, Mai? You don’t have your own opinion?”

_You…! Don’t put her on the spot like that! Why did you even ask me in the first place?_

“Well, if I’m being honest, I care more about the fashion show. I go to the elections because I have to, but I go to the show because I want to. Plus it raises a lot of money for the school.”

“Thank you!” Jared said with some finality, gesturing to Mai.

“That’s because we _made_ it a fundraiser!” Paul spat.

The five minute bell rang. Class was about to start. Jared nodded to us and walked away, Paul looking like he was going to have the final word but decided against it. He then headed after Jared, thanking Nick and Josh for their hard work. They started to walked up the stairs, being a year ahead of us, for their classes. 

“This way, Mai.” I giggled when I saw Mai following them, grabbing her arm before she got onto the first step and dragged her to our classroom.

“Jared!” She shouted up the stairs, “If you need any help with the fashion show, I’m here!”

Jared raised the hand he wasn’t using to hold on to the rail without looking back at us.

Mai then covered her mouth and gave a squeal any fangirl would be proud of. I continued to tug her to the classroom.

*****************************************************************************************************

I had stayed behind in the classroom, wanting to organize my notes before I headed to lunch. When I had finally gotten my tray and payed for my meal, Mai waved me over. It seemed like all the hostility this morning was forgotten.

“Yunna! We saved a spot for you! Get over here!” She shouted over the rest of the students, sitting with everyone else at the Normal Boots table without a care in the world. I walked over carefully, not wanting to spill my ramen. I sat down at the edge of the table, happy I made it without incident. I snapped my chopsticks apart, looking up to see Josh was sitting next to me. We then made eye contact as I picked up some noodles, smiling at him as I nodded. He nodded back.

_Everything feels so natural now…_

Nick noticed me. “Hey, Hana. How was class?”

“It’s going well. Me and PBG have an assignment together. We have been getting a lot done. I’m writing up the pa-” I had cut off my sentence as I got distracted watching Jirard talking to a girl that held up small plastic kittens. “Is that Jirard back there?”

Everyone turned to look.

“He is probably doing some trading.” Shane said as waved a hand.

He then changed the topic to his new tablet he had just gotten and something about a machine he was working on. I was only half-listening since my focus was still on Jirard. I recognized them as Itty Bitty Kitties now. They were popular back in the states too, but on a much broader scale. You couldn’t go anywhere without a little girl or the occasional thirty-year-old man with the logo somewhere on their person. I had rarely seen figures outside of the toy store.

“He must be really into Itty Bitty Kitties if he is trading for them.” I commented, turning to Mai.

“Yeah, they are really popular.” Mai said as she turned to look a Jirard as well. “I even have a few myself. I’m surprised you recognized them.”

“They really blew up when they were introduced to the states.” I shrugged.

“They are pretty cute. But kind of a little girl thing.” She shrugged back. “Jirard is known as The Completionist around here, and every time a new thing around here gets popular, he goes out and collects them all. I have never seen any of his collections myself, but I heard they are pretty impressive.”

“You have to have a lot of dedication to do that…” I said as I remember back to when I was trying to collect all of the Access datamon when it first came out only to find out that certain ones were restricted by country. 

_Speaking of Access…_

I pulled out my phone and opened the app, zooming out as far as I could to see all the nodes I had captured. I spotted a few of team Informed nodes now painted team Resistor’s purple and a single team Ability’s orange.

“IBK is the thing right now.” Mai said, my attention back at her now. “And last year, too. I think in our first year everyone was collecting Silly Slimy Snakes. But that got old fast. Teachers didn’t like everything coated in a thin layer of slime. I still have one in our room somewhere if you want to look at it.”

My phone then vibrated, a small green creature made of glitching data now bouncing in front of me. I tap on it and the catching minigame appeared, a diamond now around the cluster of moving data. I threw a few capture crystals at it with the flick of my finger, catching it with the third attempt. I watched as the new creature was added to my database.

When I looked back up, I saw Jared tap Mai’s shoulder, causing her to turn to face him so fast that her hair whipped me in the face.

“Yes?” she asked in a squeaky voice.

“I wanted to thank you for this morning.”

“Oh, no, it was no problem, really. I definitely-” she mumbled.

I then looked back over to Jirard that shook his head when the girl offered one of her kittens. She then raised another kitten up to him, Jirard examining it as if it was a rare gem. He shook his head again. She then took out a third, Jirard’s face lighting up as he saw it. He nodded and the both of them exchanged figures.

_It’s not easy letting go of something you love for something else you could love more…_

“What do you think, Yunna?” Mai asked as I put my phone back to sleep. I stared back at her with a blank look on my face since I tuned out the conversation. “Yes or no?”

“Sure?” I said as she gave me a look. I bowed my head to apologize, deciding to make a note to make it up to her. I then watched as Jirard started talking to a boy who looked like he just got out of bed. 

Jared then hit his glass with his fork. “So, official announcement in case you hadn’t heard, we are having a competition tomorrow. Just a little casual something to get us ready for the tournament. 

“ _FINALLY._ ” Jon said as he smiled, “We have been planning this since last year’s.”

_Oh, the Stomping Sister’s thing PBG was talking about… is this it?_

“Yunna, Mai, both of you are welcome to join us.” Said Jared. “But make sure to let me know so I can plan. It’s a little thing, some lighthearted fun to start off the new year.”

“Lighthearted fun my ass.” Shane interjected. “Jon almost broke Satch’s nose last year, and Jirard twisted his ankle.”

Satch subconsciously raised his hand to his nose.

“No. It was an accident.” Jon explained.

“You forgot the part where you passed out from blood loss, Shane.” Paul added.

Shane looked away. “I didn’t forget… I can never forget…”

I grimanced. “I’m having second thoughts now…”

“No you aren’t.” Mai said as she smiled. “Jared, we’ll be there.”

“All right! Awesome! I’ll plan for you to be there.” Jared said as she confirmed for the both of us. “Don’t worry, Yunna. It’s actually fun. You probably won’t get hurt.”

“ _Probably!?_ ” I sighed. 

As much as I didn’t want to go, I did. I was glad Mai was here to force me into it. She had saved me from regressing back. If it wasn’t for her, I probably would never leave my room except for food and attend class.

“That sounds great.” I said, now resigned, “Thanks for inviting us, guys.”

“Of course. It would be rude to have you sit with us at lunch then ban you from our tournament. Plus, it’ll be nice to have some new competition.” he said as moved his head in a way to brush back his hair, his sparkles going into overdrive. “I look forward to winning.”

I smiled back as I went back to my food, thinking about how I would do in the tournament. 

_I probably wouldn’t do very well since I am not very good at Stomping Sisters. If it was one of _my games_ , at least I have a chance against the Normal Boots. Oh, well. _

Paul then looked at me, worried. I smiled at him, hoping to ease his doubt. He smiled back and went back to his food. I took a breath of air, praying that I would have some chance of winning.

*****************************************************************************************************

The long day was finally over, my bones popping more then usual as I stood from my chair. Apparently Ms. Shizuka was still hung up over her old boyfriend, Mai not helping with her comment on how she needed to get a new one so homework would stop being ‘so killer’. I wasn’t complaining. It was actually interesting. 

“Yunna!” Mai called, “Before we head back to the dorms, there is something in A32 that I want to show you. Come, come!”

“What’s in A32?” I asked, trying to remember what room that was exactly.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Come on!” she said as she dragged me out of the room and into the halls.

I followed her without much question, looking at the walls as she lead me to the room, now recognizing it. “The Normal Boots clubroom? But they are not here right now. What's so special in there? Are you sure this is okay?”

Mai then grabbed the doorknob and gave it a push, the door giving way. “Yes! They left it open.”

“Mai…” I said warningly as she walked inside, following her in her wake. 

She then shut the door behind us. “It should be in here.”

My heart started to race as she pointed to a white cabinet in the back of the classroom. She then pushed me over, expecting me to pull it open. I grabbed the thin, rounded metal, hoping that it was properly locked. A solid tug gave me my answer.

“At least they remembered to lock this. Oh, well. Let’s get out of here before we get caught…” I shrugged as I turned to Mai.

“Oh, I know it is locked.” She said as she pulled out a ring of keys, “That’s why I have these.” She rattled them, her eyes matching the sparkling the keys made in the setting sun.

“But, those look like the keys facility should have. Did Ms. Shizuka give them to you?” I asked, recognizing a few that open bathroom soap and hand towel dispenser just by the look of a few of them.

“I _borrowed_ them from one of the custodians. No harm done.”

“‘No harm done’!? They could lose their job because of you! I should know!” I panicked, the fear of my mom losing her keys from work ebbing on me. 

“Relax, I’ll give them back.” She said as she then fiddled with the door, using key after key. Five keys later, the door clicked. “Got it! Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” She then opened the closet, a light shining down on a golden statue of a pair of boots. “THERE THEY ARE THERE THEY ARE!”

I looked at the statue resting on a velvet pillow, encased in a glass vanity box. By the look of it, it was very well cared for. I started to feel guilt settle in my stomach. “Okay, we saw them. Now lock the door and let’s get out of here before someone catches us.”

“These, Yunna, are The Boots. _The_ Boots. It’s the symbol of the Normal Boots Club. This is their clubroom, after all. I told you. These guys don’t mess around.”

“All the more reason to lock them back up and get out of here!” I shout whispered. “They look really expensive, being made with gold and all.”

“I’d say they are made of solid gold, only worth a hundred thousand yen or so. But to really make sure…” She said as she opened the glass case.

Before I could stop her, she lifted The Boots out. “Mai! What are you doing!?” I had then tried to grab onto the statue with her, the weight of it matching the weight of my guilt now. The weight was reminiscent of real gold. 

_There is no way these could be worn! Normal these boots are not!_

“Yeah, definitely solid gold. Mimi lied to me; She said they were gold-plated. I didn’t believe her, so I had to check.” She then bounced with them in her hands, her arm flexing as she did. 

_I know volleyball was a good way to get into shape, but I never realized now it could make someone’s upper body strength so strong… How could they have something worth so much be protected by a dinky closet lock that even I could break into if I was desperate enough? Did they not know how much money it could sell for? How many months of food and rent it could buy my family of four?_

A flash of anger flowed through me, taking the stupidly heavy boots out of her arms. “And you didn’t think of asking the boys for confirmation? We’re friends now. I am sure they would have shown you if you asked! Why did you even bring me if it was Mimi who asked?”

“I wanted to bring you. I wanted you to experience this with me. Plus, if we do get caught, we’ll be okay! There is no way that they could punish you. They really like you.”

I sighed, my temper cooling off. “Well, thanks for thinking of me.” I said as I made my way to the case. “And not everyone likes me, you know.”

The storage lights then flickered on, making us turn towards where the light switch was.

 _Like him…_ I thought as I saw Shane standing in the doorway.

“ _YOU._ ” Shane said, furious. “What are you doing here? That case is supposed to be locked.”

“Well, it _was_ locked…” Mai said pathetically.

I put The Boots back where they belonged, closed the closet, then walked over to Shane. I then kneeled down, bringing Mai with me and making her bow along with me. 

“Hey!” She shouted.

“I am so sorry about what we did.” I pleaded, my forehead almost touching the floor. “I had heard a rumor about The Boots and Mai said that she could show me. My curiosity had gotten the better of me, Shane. Please forgive us.”

“Yeah.” Mai said as she lifted her head when I let go. “I was just showing her. We aren’t suspicious. You guys hide it away, how is anyone ever supposed to see it?”

“We hide it from people who are not in the club. **_Like you._** ” he said as he walked over to the case, clicking it shut properly.

I nodded as I contemplated on leaving via the window. I would have if it wasn’t for the fact we were a story or two off the ground. “I… I know… I’m sorry, Shane…” 

Shane glared us down even farther to the floor then we already are. “Do not come back here. Get out of my sight.” I looked up at him, trying to get a few more words out as I stood but he stopped me. “I am containing my anger now, but your continued presence is making that more difficult.” 

The rest of what I wanted to say had gotten caught in my throat, his glare making me flee out of the room. My uncle would make the same look when he could barely contain his anger at himself when one of his illustration works would not come out the way he wanted to. And what he did to vent was not pretty.

Mai soon followed after me, Shane shutting the door behind us. 

“Do you think he is going to tell the other guys?” Mai asked. “I hope not.” 

I stayed quiet, walking back to our dorm room. 

“Sorry… I think I might have ruined your reputation with them.” 

I kept walking.

She then threw her head back and gave a lion of a laugh. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be fine! They’re students like us. It’s not like we stole it.” 

She hit me on my back. I didn’t feel it. I kept walking. 

“That’s just an act. Don’t worry about it, Yunna. I told you I would protect you, right?” 

_It’s like you planned for us to get caught… It’s a nice to know you will protect me from other people, but you are not going to be able to protect me from myself…_

I gave her a nod to show I had heard her. 

“Good.” She said now satisfied. “Now, let’s head back to our dorm. I’m not going to lose in this competition because of lack of sleep!” 

I groaned as she hummed a happy tune that sounded familiar. 

***************************************************************************************************** 

I couldn’t sleep. My sheets were a mess around my body that was now contorted to try and get into a comfy position. I turned to look at the clock. It was two in the morning. Another sleepless night. 

I knew only one person who could be up at this hour. 

I grabbed my phone and opened an app similar to Skaip, but it was more lightweight and geared toward gamers. I watched as the Chaos app icon spun on my screen as it started up. Sure enough, a green circle was next to Kitsune’s name. I tapped on it, a text box now appearing. 

**[2:01AM] NekoLilly:** _You there?_

I waited for his reply, hearing the ding that the app came with.

 **[2:02AM] RedKitsune:** _yeah i’m here. whats up? i havent heard from you since you started that new school_

**[2:02AM] NekoLilly:** _Sorry about that! Things kind of gotten crazy when I got here. It has been keeping me pretty busy._

**[2:02AM] RedKitsune:** _ah. well it is good to see you back on. the guild misses you, believe it or not. i missed you too._

**[2:03AM] NekoLilly:** _I’ll try and get on when my workload gets a bit lighter. I miss raiding with everyone..._

**[2:03AM] RedKitsune:** _so anything wrong? its got to be really late over there in Japan. why the late talk?_

I laugh a little. Kitsune was the kind of person who always knew when I was upset whether it was my voice or if I typed. I remember when he first joined the guild a few years ago. He was so skittish. Another girl guildie would always push me into a separate channel to chat. He would poke me to join us and I said yes every time, just to get someone else to suffer with me. The girl hated him for no reason. After a while she left the guild because the guy she had a crush on turned out to be gay and me and Kitsune became fast friends.

I start to type, only to go back and re-write it over and over again until I was satisfied what it said. After a long message about the day’s events, I waited for his response.

**[2:28AM] RedKitsune:** _that guy sounds like a jerk but he probably means well._

**[2:28AM] RedKitsune:** _my sister can be like that._

**[2:29AM] NekoLilly:** _I’m thinking of just not going._

**[2:29AM] RedKitsune:** _what about your friend?_

**[2:31AM] NekoLilly:** _She’ll be fine by herself._

**[2:32AM] RedKitsune:** _but you said that one guy invited you first right? just go. whats the worst that can happen?_

**[2:33AM] NekoLilly:** _Okay. I’ll go. Thanks Kitsune._

**[2:33AM] RedKitsune:** _no problem._

**[2:33AM] NekoLilly:** _Hey, Kitsune? Can you do me a favor?_

 **[2:33AM] RedKitsune:** _anything for you._

 **[2:34AM] NekoLilly:** _You think we can watch a video together? Just so I can fall asleep…_

I jump as I feel my phone vibrate in my hands, quickly pushing the answer button after plugging in my headphones.

“Mew.” I whispered.

“Bark.” He said back. I smiled as I heard his silvery voice. It was comforting to hear someone familiar. “So, what are we watching today?”

“You pick something.”

“I always pick something.”

“Okay, okay.” I said as I strolled through a list of videos I queued. “Okay, this one.”

I sent him the link and headed to an app which synced videos so you can watch them with other people. He then started the video, the sounds of explosions and loud commentary over video game footage now lulling me to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another character has been added to the mix other then Violet! With his input, Yunna will probably go to the tournament now! But will it be a good thing or bad? Find out next time. Same time, same place!


	7. Day Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the Stomping Sisters Tournament! How good will Yunna do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunna has much more experience an MMORPG/PC girl. Cross your fingers and hope she doesn't do to badly.

I woke up with the sun hitting my face, getting up to find my phone almost dead, the messages from that night still displayed. I plugged it in after a few attempts of failed connecting then started to get dressed, shaking Mai’s bed.

“Mai! Wake up!” I said in the tone I used to get my brothers out of bed.

“Ugh… why?”

“Oh, so you don’t want to play Stupendous Stomping Sisters with Jared. Okay. I see. Go ahead and go back to sleep then…” I teased as I walked away from the bunk bed.

“EEEP!” She screamed as she leaped off of the bed, quickly gathering her things, “OH MY GOD, Jared! I can hang out with Jared today!”

I then watch her as she rushes out of the room, girls falling down in her rush to get to the bathroom. I had picked up my phone again and did a few practice runs on Dumbidoom, Mai bursting back in now ready to go.

“Come on, Yunna! Let’s go!” she said as she dragged me along behind her, the campus blurring by us.

As we entered the boy’s dorm, I was tempted to run back out, the smell of stale chips and a few other things I didn’t want to think about was making me gag. It was the first time in a while since I had to deal with this kind of stench now that I had moved out of the house with twin boys. 

I noticed Mai was becoming slower as we walked up the stairs. Soon, it was me who was pulling her up. I then opened the door to the fourth floor and stepped in front of PBG’s and Jon’s room. I could tell how Mai was nervous. 

“You should knock first.” She offered.

“Look, we are already here. There is no reason to act silly like this.” I said as I was about to knock.

“No, wait!” 

“Look, do you want me to knock or not?”

“Yes… no… maybe?”

A third voice came from behind us, the scent of ham not helping the matter of my gag reflex. “Is there a problem, ladies?”

Mai breathed his name with utmost tenderness. He then asked us if there was something wrong with the door.

“Oh...n-no, we just…” Mai stammered.

“We were just wondering if we should have brought anything. Like snacks or something…” I finished for her.

_Why do I always go to food?_

Jared let out his signature laugh. “I don’t think they will mind if it was _you_ who forgot. Here, allow me.” He then brushed past us to knock on the door.

I glanced at Mai who looked like she was about to faint.

It was the second time I noticed how much taller he was then me. It was still odd being shorter. He gave me a sly wink as he looked down at me.

The door then opened a moment later, PBG now in the door’s frame. “Hey, guys! Glad you can make it! We’ll be a bit squished in here… but it is better than nothing.”

We then heard Shane sigh. “What? We couldn’t get the classroom this year?”

I turned to see that he was right behind me, doing my best to step out of his way.

“Yeah, turns out the Hidden Block Club booked it for the same exact day. I wonder what they are using it for.” PBG pondered.

Jon snorted in the background.

“I’m not sure your room is better than nothing.” Shane commented.

PBG then slapped his knee. “Oh, Shane, with those zingers.”

Shane looked annoyed now. “That wasn’t a zinger.”

“Are you going to come in or just stand there?” Jon called to everyone in the hall.

I watched as I let everyone else file into the room. I was completely relaxed having been in this room already. It was nothing new. Mai on the other hand was skittering around like an excited puppy that had been introduced to it’s new home. I could see the wheels in her mind spinning so fast. 

“Go on, go on! Take a seat anywhere.” Jon offered. 

I looked around for the best place to sit only to find a pair of boxers laying around, my face blushing a soft pink even though it really wasn’t a big deal.

_Just like my brothers…_

I walked over to PBG and tapped on his shoulder, nodding my head in the direction where they boxers laid. 

“Ah, ah, uh… it’s - let me clean up a bit!” His face then turned red, quickly snatching them up. 

“Pigsty…” Shane remarked.

“Not as bad as my twin monsters.” I shrugged. “At least there are no week dirty plates in here. Besides, I bet they have pigstys in England too.”

“Everything in America is derivative of England.” Shane stated.

“Okay. One: Yeah, I know that.” I listed off, “And two: We are in Japan. I am pretty sure they have their own pigstys if yesterday’s pork bowl was any indication of it.”

He stared at me blankly, as if he wasn’t expecting me to retaliate and just take it.

“Man,” Jon said, now walking in between us, turning to Shane. “we’re so lucky that the OuiU has eight player Stomp! I’m going to crush you, Shane.”

Shane tisked, “You suck. I don’t think that is going to happen.”

_Ah, the rivalries begin! Time to stay quiet and let everyone take there anger out on everyone else._

The door then opened without warning, Jirard now walking in. “Hellooooo? Guess who’s here! Awwwwww. Shane got here before I did?”

“Did you fail to see me leave?”

“I was hoping you were in the bathroom or something.”

Paul, Nick, and Josh then entered the room, a bundle of wires and controllers in his arms. “We got the extra controllers!”

_Shesh. It’s like my house. No one knocks. At least I am not using the bathroom._

A type of rhythm was then knocked on the door before Satch let himself in, holding up a brown paper bag. “Hello! I brought bagels. Figured we didn’t want a repeat of last year.” Mai’s stomach grumbled, Satch laughing as we watched her turn red. “See? That’s what I thought.”

“That’s my husband.” Jared said as he walked in.

“Say whaaaaaaaat?”

“You’re the best partner anyone could ever ask for. You are truly the best of us.”

“Can’t you ask for one normally? I brought enough for everyone.”

Jared then leaned in on Satch, whispering into his ear as he rested his head on his shoulder. “ _I knew I could trust you._ ”

I then came to a realization. “Oh! Why did I just think about making stuff for us to eat now? I could have made lunch for everyone…” I grumbled.

“You can cook?” Jon asked, acting shocked that I could do such a thing.

“Yes. I can cook, bake, barbeque… If you give me a recipe and money to get all the ingredients, I could make you almost anything.”

“That’s amazing!” Jared exclaimed.

“It’s not that amazing… What kind of self-respecting person doesn’t know how to make at least one dish?”

The room fell silent.

PBG clapped his hand together. “Ookay, then. Everybody pick a place to sit. We’ll hand out bagels and then get started.”

I looked around and decided to sit in front of PBG’s bed as Mai sat on top of it. As I looked around the room, I never noticed how chaotic it was to have nine adolescent boys in a single room. In fact, I think this is the first time I have been to any kind of social function outside of school in my entire life. It was fun watching how such a big group of friends interacted and mingled with each other. I listened to all their inside jokes, getting a few of the video game related ones as everyone tried to shuffle into a somewhat comfy place.

When the character select screen came on, everyone fell silent. The flame of battle was lit. Everyone suddenly had controllers in their hands, the player cursors darting around the screen as everyone was picking their warrior. PBG then glanced at me, noticing that I didn’t have a controller and offered me his. 

“Um… I’ll sit this one out…” I mumbled, waving my hands in front of me.

“There is no way you’re worse then me! Or Jimmy for that matter.” He said as he pushed the controller into my hands.

I looked towards the screen and saw the ocean of characters I recognized from various Gintendo franchises. After flipping threw a few, I finally picked a mage looking girl called Finch. She was the most appealing to me and no one else had picked her. I wasn’t sure what game she was from, but she looked powerful.

“Is everyone ready?” Jon called out.

I looked down to make sure the grip on my controller was right. My heart was racing, the familiar feeling of playing a new game flooding me. They then picked a stage that had tiny white houses and animals that I had seen before. I remember Kitsune was trying to get me to play it, but I didn’t have a 4DS to play it on. 

I watched as the timer counted down on the screen as if it was in slow motion. 

**3…**

I clutched the controller, my thumbs resting on the buttons and analog stick.

**2…**

The rest of the room started to melt away, the only sound I could hear was the game.

**1…**

I watched as my character fell as she spawned in.

**GO!**

“DIE, SHANE, DIE!” Jon said as he sideswiped him.

Shane retaliated with a block. “What the hell? Attack everyone, not just me!” 

“But you are my mortal enemy!” He said before Josh’s character knocked him off the stage. “Josh! What was that for?”

“You were wide open, and death waits for no one.” He smirked.

“You’re next.”

Thankfully, when the battle started, they left me alone as they went and attacked each other. It took me a little while to figure out how to jump since the usual button didn’t work. 

“AH! There we go!” I said as I made Finch run around a bit, practicing jumping from platform to platform. Then, from out of nowhere, a NokeBall hit her square in the back, sending her teetering off the edge. Thankfully I was able to jump back up to the platform, accidently doing a dash move. “Huh…”

“I would have been worried if any of the other guys chose your character, Yunna. She is kind of OP in the right hands.” Nick remarked as I turned to him, “Also, when in doubt, Down-B.”

I nodded as I focused back onto the screen, the air filled with various curses and death threats that would have given my mom a heart attack. Everyone was shouting everyone else’s name. I had my tongue in between my teeth.

I tried the combination, Finch now diving headfirst into the ground with her book leading the charge, a wave of water flooded the ground around her during impact. After a few more minutes of fiddling around, I figured out how to lighting dash again, along with throwing a fireball and creating an ice shield.

I then waited for my chance to strike. I jumped up to the highest platform, Jon’s Nario now walking toward me. I then leaped into the air and hit down-b, my timing giving me a direct hit. Nario was then engulfed in a water bubble as he was then sent flying to the opposite end of the map and off the screen, Nario making his signature death cry.

I had almost dropped the controller.

“You’re on my shit list.” Jon said as he waited for Nario to respawn.

It was full on war between me and Jon now. I did my best to block the onslaught of his attacks, only to be hit by the others. I had tried everything I learned to keep on top of the platform, but it was nowhere near enough to keep me from dying a dozen more times. Soon, the match was over, snapping me out of the game zone.

I handed the controller to Mai so she could have a turn. I propped myself up on PBG’s bedframe, feeling drained from the one battle. I was glad that I had won against someone. If I hadn’t, I would have been more reluctant to give up the controller until I did.

After a few more rounds, the official tournament was drawn up. They used the basic one versus one ladder. Mai went before me and was paired up with Jared. He showed no mercy to her as they faced off. At least Mai was enjoying herself based off of the way she shivered each time her character was hit. She lost her match in no time flat.

_I never took Mai as a sub…_

I was in the very last bracket, paired off against PBG. The others chuckled as I was handed the controller again.

“Don’t worry, Yunna.” Shane reassured me for some reason, “PBG’s the easiest out of all of us. You’re bound to beat him.”

“Awwww. Come on, guys! Don’t worry, Yunna. I’ll go easy on you.”

“I prefer you didn’t…” I took a jagged breath as PBG picked a stage with a single floating platform out in space.

_Great. Nowhere to run…_

The match had started. PBG was holding his character still. 

“Go ahead and test your moves.” He said, the others chiming in on how nice he was to let me mess around.

I faced Finch away from his character so I didn’t hit him by accident. After reviewing the moves I did learn, I ended up hitting the C-stick up, Finch taking out a sword and striking in the same direction.

_She has a sword!?_

“Ready to go?” PBG asked.

“Ready as I will ever be. But don’t hold back.” I warned him. I was going to take this fight seriously. My pride as a gamer was on the line now. I strung together the button combinations in my mind.

PBG then charged at me. I waited until he was just in range, throwing a fireball at him. It made his character pause, giving me a chance to dash forward to be face to face, hitting the C-stick to the right and making him fly. 

A dark laugh soon came out of me, having struck first blood. 

I turned to see PBG gritting his teeth. “I see how it is. No more Mr. NiceGuy, then!”

Satisfied that I finally got PBG to go full ham, I began my attack. The match was long. It was a lot of back and forth between the two of us, my investment in the game made me forget that the others were watching as I started to mumble to myself. We were evenly matched.

That was until I made a mistake and dashed backward into one of his projectiles and died.

“Wh-wh-” I heard him stutter.

Sighing, I put the controller down on the table, feeling heartbroken because I lost. I waited for them to mock me, but everyone was just… quiet.

“I… guess I won…” he shrugged. 

“Yeah. You did. Gee-Gee.” I said as I forced on a smile.

“Damn, Yunna! You really held up on your own! That is a real diamond in the rough right there!”

“No I’m not. I lost.” I said as I did my best to save face, tears stinging my eyes.

“A-anyway, the next match is Shane versus Paul…” Jared segwayed.

I wandered off to a corner as everyone else watched the next couple of matches. Thankfully no one minded too much as opened Chaos and read some of the guild chat logs that I had missed. By the time I felt better, PBG was up against Jared. He lost almost immediately. I patted him on the back, knowing the bitter taste of defeat.

As I did, I saw Paul whisper something to Shane. Whatever it was must have been bad, because he practically shut-down after they both looked at me. 

“Over my dead body.” Shane mumbled. 

_If you are going to talk about me, do it behind my back properly…_

I then sat behind the couch just enough to be hidden but also at an angle that I can still watch the game. The last match ended up to be Jared against Shane. I was kind of cheering for Jared along with Mai until Shane outflanked him with the the fury of a demi-god.

“Everyone, that was a great round! It looks like we are in better shape than last year!” He commended the guys in the club, “Even PBG!”

PBG gave half a smile as he ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t really deserve it…”

“Totally deserved.” Jon said flatly, “I’m tired. So get out of my room. Please.”

I would have taken offence to that if it wasn’t for his ice-melting smile of his and how he acted like he didn’t do anything wrong. Mai and I then left the room with the others, watching them laugh and talk as we all took off in different directions.

We made it home at last. I wouldn’t have bothered to change into my pj’s, opting to just sleep in my underwear that night, but I sucked it up and did anyways. I watched as Mai catapulted herself to her bunk. 

“Oh, Yunna. I am glad you came to Asago.”

“As if this couldn’t happen without me here.” I giggled. I then snuggled into my own sheets. “That was really fun, despite me losing an all…”

“Really?” She asked as she shuffled around just enough for her head to peek over the side, her hair hanging down like a waterfall of red. “I mean, it was passable. I didn’t think it was super fun or anything. Even if I would have won.”

“That’s a shame…” I said slowly.

_Oh well. She is still a really great friend even if she isn’t a gamer girl like me. She knows anime, so that’s enough._

I heard her laugh. “Let’s just go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Okay…” I replied, getting back up to get the light.

“Good night, Yunna.”

“Good night, Mai.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fhew! Another one done! Sorry that I am late. I'm really happy that I am finally getting to points where I can add my own scenes. Also, fun fact: Yunna Readman isn't a random name! Yunna comes from Y/N that you see in self insert stories. Your+Name= Yunna! Readman was made because you Read... Man. Okay, that one is more of a stretch. So sue me (please don't.). The reason I was late was because my writing muse gave me enough of a push to finish this part of the story and to get started on PBG's route!!! So enjoy the rest of the chapters.


	8. Day Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna finds something itty and bitty then finds that Mai and her may have a small rough patch in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually really proud of some of my references. When writing this, I couldn't choose between Pokemon Go or Ingress. So I did both! It came out much better then I expected. Also, my headcannon for the song Yunna is singing later in this chapter is Monody by The Fat Rat.

I watched as my agents Access level rose to eighteen as I walked around campus, collecting every single node again for the third time. I was getting much quicker now that I had planned my routes out for node efficiency. I also decided to keep my nodes at the lowest tier so others could get experience from them now that I knew others played as well. It was more fun when you had other players datamon to battle against when taking over nodes. I had checked the time and saw that it was half an hour before class started, glad that I had my backpack with me with my textbooks and the book Satch lent me. 

I decided to head back to the starting point over by the soccer field again to get a few more resources since the rest of the nodes were still cooling down. I looked around me after capturing another datamon, seeing PBG and his friend Jeff playing a practice match with the rest of the team.There were students freckled among the bleachers, leaving plenty of room for others to sit. I then sat down to take a break and wait for the nodes to refresh. As I waited, I pulled out Satch’s book, wanting to finish it today and return it to him. 

After I turned the last page, I looked up to see how the game was going, PBG smiling as he passed the ball to another player. I then spotted something glint in the sun out of the corner of my eye. I then walked down the bleachers, curiosity urging me forward as the colors changed. I then bent down to pick up a small, purple plastic kitten.

_I wonder who dropped this... Jirard, maybe?_

I shouted to see if anyone nearby lost it, those who heard me shaking their heads. I look back at the tiny figurine that stared back.

_I might as well take it to him. Even if it isn’t his, he would probably know who it belongs to. But… I don’t know where he could be..._

That’s when I heard PBG’s voice. As if by magic, he wandered over to the bleachers to grab a drink from his bag. I clambered over the seats, almost tripping a few times as I held the kitten out in front of me.

“Hey, PBG! Do you know where I can find Jirard? I think he dropped this.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked down at my hand. “Oh! Jirard was just here. It must be his. I asked him to bring me my goalie gloves. I wasn’t prepared to take O'malley's place today. His room is across from mine.”

“Cool. I’ll try there first. Thanks!”

Jeff then jogged up to us. “Hey, PBG, hurry it up!”

He groaned, taking another swig of his drink before following after him and waving at me. “Gotta go. Good luck!”

I waved back at him as I tucked the IBK into my bag in one of the safest pockets inside. A boy looked at me funny as I walked into Bluebell House. I rolled my eyes and continued on my mission. I found PBG’s room and looked right across.

I took the IBK out of my bag after knocking on the door a few times. Shane answered the door, clearly unhappy to see me. 

_Of course he is Jirard’s roommate. Why not?!_

I cut to the chase. “Um… sorry to bother you. I just wanted to see if Jirard was in. I think he dropped this little guy.” I then showed him the lost kitten.

“Jirard should be back in a few minutes.”

I nodded. “Cool. I can just leave this with you then. You can tell Jirard to come find me when he has the time...”

I was about to hand him the IBK when he sighed and leaned against the doorframe. “I could do that, but it would be much easier if you came in and waited.” He then gestured me inside.

I gave him a small bow as I walked in, feeling like I was entering a dragon's lair at first. He then closed the door behind me and sat back down at his desk, leaving me to stand in the middle of the room as he went back to working on something on his laptop. I glance around to see half of the room was covered in Itty Bitty Kitties while some of it was spilling into the other half.

“There are so many of them… It doesn’t bother you?” I asked, feeling as if all of the kittens were staring into my soul.

“Not really. They’re Jirard’s. I don’t mind.” He replied simply.

“I see. Well, at least Jirard should know who’s this is if it doesn’t belong to him, right?”

“It’s probably Jirard’s.” He said as he turned back to his laptop.

I then looked back at the kitten and started to sing to it softly as if I was comforting it until it’s real owner got back. By the time I finished the song, Jirard came back.

“Hey, Shane! … and Yunna?” He greeted us, two coffees in his hands. He then looked at the two of us, slowly blushing pink. “What were you two doing in here? Alone? Together?”

“We aren’t doing anything. Yunna was looking for you.” Shane said harshly.

I rolled my eyes. “Shane was nice enough to let me wait here for you.”

“Really? How can I help, Yunna?” He asked as he tried to hand me his coffee. “I would have gotten one for you too if I knew you were going to drop by.”

“That’s okay. I shouldn’t drink coffee. Thank you, though. I just dropped by to see if this belonged to you.” I then hold up the Itty Bitty Kitty once again.

“OH YES!” He shouted, his coffee instantly forgotten. “I lost this today. Where did you find it?”

I then explained that I found it near the soccer field and how PBG told me about how he ran that errand for him, handing him the figure. I felt warm and fuzzy when I saw him take it. 

“Thank you, Yunna! Thank you! You didn’t have to do this, but you did, and I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t!”

I laughed. “It’s not a big deal to me, but it looks like it is for you. I’m glad I brought it back. I’m guessing it is rare then?”

“It’s not as rare as you think,” Jirard explained, “but it is still very special to me. So, I am glad that you were the one to find it. I shouldn’t have been so careless.”

“Don’t worry about it. What matters is that you have it back and you know better now.”

“Maybe zip up your pocket next time?” Shane advised.

“You bet I will take a load of precautions so this doesn’t happen a second time.” Jirard then set the kitten with a group that were also the same shiny pearl sheen. He glanced at me from the side as I looked upon his hardly earned collection. “Oh, duh! Jirard, you dummy! How rude of me not to introduce you to my collection. Sorry!" 

"In this room, I have two hundred and forty seven Itty Bitty Kitties in every shape and size! This is the latest series that came out: The Catastrophies. They’re a band. They are really popular right now. I traded my rare extras for these the other day. The one you brought back to me are from a set called the Opalescents. Currently, they are the only shinies."

"I’m just missing the last one in this series. It’s a purple one called Princess Pumpernickel. I’ve tried _everywhere_ but no one has them in stock. But there are only three copies of it in the world, so I am not surprised. It’s more surprising I managed to get these ones. I have one of the most completed collections in the world. People think that the company sends me them, but I earn all my IBK.”

I look at the collection again. “I can tell. It must have been very hard to collect all of them. It takes a lot of effort to do something like this. It must be nice to have a hobby that you can get so into.”

Jirard sighs as he sits on his bed, looking up at his ceiling wistfully. “Thanks, Yunna. I just wish I could get that last figure. I could finish my collection and the Kitties will have all of their friends in one place.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, then.” I said as I looked at my phone, noticing the time. “I should go now. I’ve already taken up a lot of your time. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Bye, Yunna!” Jirard said happily as he waved. “Thanks again!”

“See ya.” Said Shane.

*****************************************************************************************************

After playing a little more Access and a co-op play of Dumbidoom with Hanna later, I got back to my room. The sun had already set, the room dark when I opened the door. I flicked on the light, seeing Mai hugging a stuffed bear on her bed. 

“WAH! ...Mai? What are you doing in the dark? You scared me half to death.” I asked. She simply looked at me then hid her face in her bear. I put down my bag and walked over to her. It was so unlike her to be sulky like this. “Mai, come on. Tell me what’s wrong.”

‘Hmph.’ was the only answer I got.

“That doesn’t answer my question…” I said in a sisterly tone.

She looked at me, her face a bit pink. 

_Don’t tell me she was crying…_

“Mai… You have been such a good friend to me. What kind of person would I be if I couldn’t help you out when you needed it. Come on. Let it out.”

She sighed, throwing the bear to the floor. I hurried to bend over to pick it up, patting it where it hit the floor to make it feel better. 

“It’s not fair…” I heard her say. “I know it’s terrible to think like this, but… even though I am really happy for you, getting to be friends with those guys… it’s just not fair!”

_WHAT?_

“It’s just that I’ve been a fan of them for a really long time. And I loved Jared forever. And then you come out of nowhere, with your blue hair, and just like that,” She said, snapping her fingers to make a point. “you’re friends with them! But here I am trying the whole time and Jared didn’t even know my name… I know I am being stupid, and I feel bad but...”

I stood there for a moment, looking at her. Then, a giggle came out of me. The giggle turned into a laugh, and that laugh turned into a roar. Mai had a look of confusion on her face as I laughed more and more. “M-M-Mai…” I wheezed, “Don’t you get it? I wouldn’t have made any friends if it wasn’t for you!”

“What?”

“When I got here, I wasn’t planning on making any friends! I was just happy enough to be in Japan! If I was left to my own devices, I would just got to class, do my homework, then stay in my room for the rest of the day! If it wasn’t for _YOU_...” I took a deep breath. “If it wasn’t for you, I would still be alone. Even if I did meet everyone in Normal Boots, I would just say enough to get by and hide in a corner to myself. It was you who helped me out of my shell by introducing them to me...” I then handed her back her bear. 

“I’m going to bed.” She said hugged it and turned over in her bed, still in her uniform.

“If you don’t think it is true, just ignore me for a week or so. Trust me, I’ll fall back to my usual routine again.” I told her, changing into my nightgown and turned off the lights. “Ten years of being bullied and ignored does that to you.” 

I then crawled into my covers, wishing her good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end on a note like this. But things will get better!


	9. Day X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna overhears something she wasn't supposed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of having Hana still being apart of the story! And of course, with Yunna being a Japan Otaku and all, she would soak in anything and everything Hana offered. Enjoy!

Mai was her usual self the next morning. I couldn’t help but to worry more, hoping that this wasn’t a calm before the storm. 

The bell rang and class officially started. I watched as Ms. Shizuka wrote ‘Origami Flowers’ on the board in her usual script. “Class, the Flower Festival is only a few days away. It’s time again to start folding flowers for the school to sell. We do this every year guys. I don’t want to hear any groans. You’re free to write me an essay on the importance of these funds for the school if you prefer not to participate.”

I watched as a few students acted disinterested. I, however, was excited. We never did this kind of thing at our old school, and with what I learned from Hana, it should be easy. 

“I’m handing out practice sheets for everyone because I know how bad you are at origami.” Ms. Shizuka said as she grabbed a stack of plain paper. “I’m going to teach this only once, so pay attention!”

Once she past out the stack of paper, she returned to the front and picked up one of her own. As she started to fold it, I recognized it as the first origami fold that Hana had taught me. I quickly finished my flower, my creases crisp and my flower looking perfect. 

Shizuka wandered around the classroom and stopped by students that were having trouble as I grabbed the ordinate paper and started folding. “These creases are _weak_! Kindergarteners can do better. My _ex_ can do better!” she said as she slammed her hand on a boy’s desk, shouting about how everyone needed to be better. 

I had gotten into a good grove, folding three more by the time some people had finished one. I was about to work on my fourth when I looked up and noticed quite a few people were having trouble. 

I finished the flower I worked on and noticed I was already out of paper, picking up the finished flowers and placing them on the desk before taking another small stack for myself, passing Jon along the way. 

I waved my hand to stop him from creasing the paper again. “Don’t do that! You won’t have enough paper to do the next crease if you keep going like that…”

Jon looked up at me pitifully. “To be honest, Yunna, I have no idea what I am doing. Help me…”

I took his paper and unfolded it and refolded it the way you were supposed to, the flower coming out perfect.

Jon looked amazed at something so simple. “You’re so good at Origami! Did you used to fold flowers at your old school too?”

“No, a friend of mine showed me how. I alway wanted to learn Origami, but I could never find a book good enough to teach me. This just happened to be the first fold I learned how to do. Schools over there don’t do things like this.Thanks, though.”

“Really?” Jon pondered. “I didn’t take you’d like this kind of thing… Please…” He then grabbed my hand, having to use all my willpower not to slap him. “Stay with me. Help me.”

“Okayjustletgoofmyhandplease…”

“I knew I can count on you, Yunna! Thank you! You’re a Goddess.” he said as he let go.

I then used the rest of the class period to teach Jon and PBG how to fold the flower properly, trying to wave over Mai and Shane, but they refused to join us. Shane ended up just watching how Jon folded his. I made sure I spoke loud enough for the both of them to hear.

*****************************************************************************************************

I headed back to the dorms with Mai when class was done, happy that I had finished all my work during the day so I could goof off. Mai, on the other hand, was a bit behind in her work. I offered to help her finish, which she thankfully accepted. I kept her motivated by the promise of an entire chocolate cake being made just for her tomorrow if she finished on time. I was about to offer a homemade lunch next when I heard someone call out my name. 

I turned to see Jeff, running up to me. “Hey, Yunna! The Normal Boots Club have a meeting today and PBG forgot to take his uniform with him. He won’t have much time to change if he doesn’t have this, and I have to run down to the field. Could you take it to him?” He then offered me the blue and gold uniform, taking it by the fabric without a second thought. 

“Sure. I’ll take it to him right away.” I said, turning to Mai. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Of course!” She cheered, looking at me with starry eyes.

“Awesome, thanks!” Jeff said before he ran back to the soccer field.

“ _Finally!_ A chance to see Jared in his element!” Mai squealed. “Come on, Yunna, we have to hurry!”

I laughed, doing my best to keep up with her.

*****************************************************************************************************

We both reached the clubroom, hearts racing from running all the way over here. I paused for a moment to catch my breath as Mai fluttered about. I was about to knock on the door before I heard my name colored by Shane’s accent through the door.

I froze, turning to Mai who only held a finger up to her lips as she leaned in to listen.

“Dude, I think she’s fine.” Jon said, trying to calm Shane down. “What do you think she is going to do to us?”

“But she’s so… _Blue._ No one has hair like that.”

“People can’t choose their hair color, Shane.” Satch reasoned. “That’s a really poor reason to judge someone.”

_But… people can choose their hair color. They do it all the time. What makes them think that this is my actual hair color!?_

“I know.” Shane replied. “But you know I don’t trust people with _pink_ hair. What makes you think I could trust someone with blue? You _know_ there is more to it than just the color. Don’t deny it! Weird things always happen around people with weird colored hair!”

“Sure, but they are not dangerous!” PBG countered.

“Aren’t they?” Shane sneered. 

_I can’t listen to any more… Me is one thing… but other people... He is practically a hair racist!_

I then grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open, Mai staring at me with shock in her eyes. I walked in, the boys now all looking at me as I entered. 

My face was cold steel, turning my attention to PBG. “You forgot your uniform, PBG. Jeff asked me to give it to you.” I then handed him his uniform then turned to exit the room, my footsteps landing heavy as I walked.

“H-how much did you hear?” PBG asked.

I turned my head enough so they could hear me properly but I could still be facing away from them. “Enough.” I then continued my way out, Mai called out for me as I marched. I raised my hand to her and shook my head, not wanting to snap at her. I walked back to the dorms, trying to keep a normal pace.

I made it back to the dorm without incident. I closed the door and started to take off my uniform, opting for my normal clothes. I put on jeans and a black shirt with a cute skull pattern all over it. I then turned on my laptop, booted up Dragon Wars 2, and entered Chaos chat with everyone in the guild. I then slapped my cheeks before I started to talk, putting on a cheery voice as everyone greeted me after such a long time. 

*****************************************************************************************************

“You’re still playing that game?” Mai asked. I kept my headphones on, pretending not to hear her as I used my magic to throw healing water on my raid party. We have been at it for awhile now and we were only halfway through. 

She then asked again, looking at her now that I decided it was an okay time to be distracted. “Hang on guys. I’m being pulled away.” I addressed my party by push-to-talk before pulling off my headphones to talk to Mai. “It’s only been a few hours. I’ll help you out after I finish the raid.”

“At least take a break okay? I can finish my homework by myself anyway.”

“Well, I do need to return the book I borrowed…”

“Go do that! Some fresh air will help you feel better. You can meet me for dinner after.”

“Okay. But I still need to finish this first. I can’t leave my guild hanging.”

*****************************************************************************************************

It had taken another hour before I was finished, stretching out a bit after being in one position for so long. I waved to Mai before I left, wanting to show that I had no hard feelings toward her as I grabbed my book and left for the library. It was peacefully quiet, the walk here definitely helped my mood. I had gotten there pretty late and it was still very early in the school year for anyone to be studying in here. Satch was working the front desk with PBG and Paul. My mood was sour again. I had tried to leave, but they spotted me.

Satch waved me over, reluctantly making me walk over to the desk. I handed him his book, my face probably stone by the way they looked at me. “Hey, nice clothes… Um… Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to return your book.”

“That book…” Paul said, trying to make conversation. “I couldn’t help seeing you reading it earlier. _The Princess Betrothed _. It’s good, isn’t it?”__

__I nodded, turning to leave._ _

__“I… have another suggestion if you are interested…” Satch offered._ _

__I shook my head, continuing forward._ _

__“Aw, come on.” Paul pleaded. “It’s almost dinner. Just let him check-out the book for you and we can all walk to cafeteria together.”_ _

__I sighed. “I’ll take the book, but I need to get something from my room before I go to dinner…”_ _

__Satch smiled. “To the fiction section!” He lead us down row after row of books, scanning a stack before finally finding it. “Ah, here it is! The Banana Club! I know it sounds stupid. It looks stupid, too. But it is the most moving books that I have ever read.” The then started to tear up, his hand moving to his quivering lip. “The ending crushed me. Here, before I spoil it.” He then handed me the book, my face still indifferent. “Yunna, are you sure you are okay?”_ _

__I nodded. “Yeah. I’m just not hungry…”_ _

__Satch narrowed his eyes. “Alright. Do you still want to check out the book.”_ _ __I looked at the yellow hardcover and nodded. It would be nice to finally have a new book to read. I handed it to him so he could scan it and give it back. We then headed back to Paul and PBG who were now messing around with a book, Satch stopping me a bit short._ _

__“Y’know… If it was what Shane said earlier…” He started._ _

__I held my hand up to his face. “I just… want to be alone for a while…”_ _

__“Transfers have it the hardest here, and everyone knows that.” Satch said, sadness in his voice._ _

__I nodded._ _

__“Just… don’t be a stranger, okay?”_ _

__I didn’t reply, walking out of the library._ _

___I know he is trying to make me feel better. And that is really nice of him. But that won’t make Shane like me any more. I just wanted a simple school life. People just made it that much harder… I’m starting to regret coming here now… But it seemed like it was only Shane had the problem since PBG and Paul pretty much acted like usual. But… that didn’t make me feel better._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really rolling now. >@


	10. Day Y

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon asks Yunna for a favor and Mai and Yunna have another rough patch happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always bothered me that Creeps never had a proper introduction. It also gives Yunna a reason to act a little more emotional then normal. Yunna kinda has low expectations. I also use the Undertale skin for this story so you can read Ian's dialog in the comic sans that he talks in!

I was resting my head on the desk, unable to get any sleep last night. I had gotten so distracted with playing Dumbidoom with Hana last night that it was already morning. I had just dressed in my uniform again and headed straight to class. I was about to fall asleep when I heard Jon’s voice. 

“Yunna!”

I turned to face him, tilting my head to the side as if to ask ‘What?’.

“I need you in my play, Yunna, please!”

The word ‘play’ woke me up. I shook my head. “Nuh-uh. No way.”

He then grabbed my shoulders and started to shake me.

“The drama club! Our play this year is Romeo and Juliet. I’ve been thinking about it for so long. I couldn't just have anyone, and I wasn’t finding anyone with my particular needs. But then you came along. I have been watching you. I’m sure you can do it!”

I sighed. “Okay, it is true that I am a registered thespian back in the states, but I don’t think…”

“That makes you even better! Please, Yunna, I need you. At least come and see what I’ve have been working on, please!”

_I shouldn’t be making decisions. I need sleep…_

I facedesk, waving my arm in the air. “Okay…”

“Oh, Yunna, thank you so much! You’re darlin’. Darlin’!”

The then tried to give me a hug, bending over as he almost smothered me. I flapped my arms to make him back off. “Okay! Okay!”

“Awesome! Meet me in the school theater. This’ll be great! I’ve got everything prepared for you.”

I gave him a thumbs up, tucking my arm underneath my head for a nap.

“Well, now that that’s settled, come on! Let’s go to LUNCH!”

He then sped out of the room with Mai-like speed. I snuggled into my arm.

“Hey, you coming?” He asked, poking his head into the classroom.

I groaned as I got up, following him out. 

I waited until we were almost to the cafeteria, turning left as he turned right. I was able to then walk over to the infirmary, happy that I was able to get at least a little sleep now. I called out to see if the nurse was there, only hearing my own voice echo in the room. I then walked over to one of the beds. 

“What are you _doing in here?_ ”

“EEK!” I spun around to see the man in the closet from weeks before, tripping into the bed behind me. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ghost! I didn’t mean to disturb you!!!”

“Ghost? I’m not a ghost. I’m the school nurse. Creeps McPasta.” He said, offering me his hand.

My hand trembled a little as I took his hand, feeling a cold sensation slowly turn warm. 

“Oh… Um… Sorry…” I mumbled. “I only wanted to get a little sleep. I didn’t sleep so well last night.”

“Do you need a sleep aid?” he asked, tugging down his mask. I shook my head as I grabbed a pillow.

“Can you wake me up if the bell rings and I sleep through it?” 

He give me a nod and sits back at his desk, writing something down.

If I was more rested, I would have been creeped out by the amount of specimen jars he had, but sleep overtook me as soon as I stopped moving.

*****************************************************************************************************

McPasta woke me up a bit later, handing me a container of yogurt and a rice ball. “You shouldn’t skip meals. Eat that before you go to class.”

I gave him a small bow before eating the rice ball. It was the perfect balance of salt to rice, making quick work of eating it and the yogurt. 

“Thanks for the meal.”

He nodded, now turning back to his work.

_He’s really nice. I need to do something to thank him…_

I headed back to class with time to spare, filling Mai in on what happened with Jon to distract her from me skipping lunch to sleep.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to live up to his expectations…” I moan, my memories of my last performance flooding back.

“Are you kidding, Yunna? He wants you to be Juliet. And he’ll be Romeo. How romantic. He’s totally hitting on you.”

“I doubt it. I’m not that good of an actress. I failed big time when I was in a play last time.”

“Yunna, get a grip on yourself! You’re one of the nicest people I have ever met. Any guy would be lucky to have you. That’s why you are my best friend. Why else would I make a big deal out of you?”

“That has nothing to do with acting…” I pointed out.

As class started, my mind wandered.

I was on the stage, dressed as Juliet and Jon as Romeo. We were saying our lines perfectly, leaning towards each other for the play’s first kiss. 

”ENGARD!” a random Ian shouted, stabbing Jon in the chest.

“This isn’t how the story is supposed to go!” I shouted, bolting up from falling asleep in class. I looked around, seeing that class was over. Mai asked me if I was okay. “Yeah… I better get to the theater… I can’t believe I fell asleep again after that nap…”

“What nap?” Mai asked.

“Uh… gotta go!” I shouted as I grabbed my backpack and headed to the theater. “See you back in the dorms!”

*****************************************************************************************************

I walked into the theater, the light from the inside spilling into the dark. As the door closed behind me, my eyes adjusted to the light, the stage covered in a white glow. Jon was standing in the middle, his arms raised high as he spoke Shakespearean lines with Jacques.

“Jacques, you need to say it with more intensity. Don’t you want to be famous?”

“ _Nay._ ” He said, clearly still in his role.

“Why you little…”

“I’m here!” I waved before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

“Yunna!” He said as his voice lightened. “Come in, come in, come in!”

I walked down the aisle, careful not to fall down the slight slope. He then took my hand and lead me up to the stage, my heart caught in my throat.

“I’m so glad that you came! I wasn’t sure you were going to come or not. Thank you so much, Yunna. You were the only person I could trust!”

“Well, it depends on the part I am auditioning for. I am no Juliet by no means, but I’ll try to be if that is what you need.” I resigned.

“Huh?” He said as he stopped pulling me. “Who said I needed a Juliet? You are right. You are not suited to be Juliet.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” I said happily, much more interested now. “So what would I be going for?”

“Okay… Anyway...” He then ran to the backstage and came back with a duffle bag. “Actually, I want you to be…” He then pulled out a tree costume after making such a big show of it. “A tree!”

I look at the costume for a moment. “A tree? What kind of tree?”

“I donno. A tree!”

“An oak? A pine? A weeping willow? What? I need to know.” I asked, the actress in me showing.

Jon was getting excited now. “Show me what you got! I knew you would be perfect! So shy and quiet, you can blend into the background with ease! And to be able to hold a position for long periods of time! The other day you stared into space without moving a muscle for twenty minutes!”

“Well, I have had years of practice. I can even go longer. I’m surprised you noticed.” I humored, rolling my eyes.

_Thank goodness. And here I thought he wanted a speaking role. I’ll be fine if it’s just this._

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked, now thinking back on how I reacted once the excitement of the perfect tree role being filled. “Most people would have been upset about not getting a big part.”

“ ‘There are no small roles, only small actors. And even then, they are actors still!’ ” I quoted my favorite and only drama teacher, saying it with the exact flair she did. “If you don’t mind me asking, who is going to play Juliet?”

“Why, Jacques, of course! I am so ready. This is going to be the best play yet!”

“ _I love you._ ” Jacques said, unsure if he was being sincere or saying a line.

_I should have guessed this nonsense._

“Let me know I have the part or not when you decide who you want. I’m heading out.”

“Goodbye, Yunna.”

*****************************************************************************************************

I hummed happily, much more content with being a tree then I first thought I was. It was a small part in a big play, but it was nice being able to act again. Even if it didn’t involve much movement. Even if Jon was just asking me to be a stage hand, it would have been nice. I failed to realize how much I missed the acting scene.

“I’m back!” I said as I collapsed on my bed.

“Hey, Yunna. How’d it go?” Mai asked, leaning over the frame with something in her hand. 

“Good, I get to be a tree! What are you doing?”

“Cutting out little blossoms, see?” She said as she then held out cherry blossoms for me to see. Wait… did you say a tree?”

“Yep!”

“And you are not upset?”

“No? Why would I be?”

“... You can be odd at times, you know that?”

I laughed. “You just noticed that now, Mai? Anyway, what are the blossoms for?”

“To help Senpai to notice you, of course! You know! Senpai always notices the girl when she’s outside, surrounded by a shower of flower petals, the wind blowing in her hair. Your guy will definitely notice you with these.”

A flash of anger hit me.“Mai, I don’t need a relationship to be happy! I’m fine with all of us just being friends. Well, most of us...” I sighed. “Besides, I doubt they want someone who has been actively avoiding them…”

I ran out of the dorm, heading outside. I felt the warm air hit my skin, reminding me of home. I looked around, wondering what I could do.

_Why did I do that? Mai did nothing wrong… I feel bad now… Oh! I know!_

I then headed to the home EC room, looking through the cupboards and refrigerator to see what was there. “Yay! There is just enough in here!”

I turned on the oven to the right temperature, doing my best from memory. I then prepared the ingredients and mixed them together, working quickly. I then dumped the batter I made into greased pans, putting them into the oven. I then started to clean the dishes, not hearing the footsteps from behind me.

Mai was standing next to me, the last dish now rinsed in my hand. 

“Mai! I am so sorry I left like that! I was upset at myself, not you! I know it is not to fix anything, but… I made you that chocolate cake that I promised you… It’s a from scratch family recipe… I’m sorry I am such an awful person...”

Mai could no longer hold back the burst of laughter inside her. “If you think snapping at me like that or you avoiding people makes you an awful person, I would hate to see what would make you evil!”

I blushed, now thinking on how silly it was. I then dried my hands, hearing a ding from the oven. “Oh! It’s done!” I then put on some oven mitts and pulled out the cake, now baked. “It is going to need some time to cool…” I then set them on top of a rack, trying to think of something to pass the time. “Um… Remember what Shane said about my hair?”

Mai nodded, the scent of warm chocolate filling the room.

“I’ve been kind of on edge ever since I just walked into the room like that. I don’t know how to act in front of them anymore… I know I am acting silly, but… how can I face them after something like that? All because I dyed my hair blue…”

“ _Your hair isn’t actually blue!?_ ” Mai shrieked.  
It was my turn to laugh now. “NO! Back when I first met Hana, she was so subconscious of her pink hair. I thought it was beautiful. She kept trying to dye black it when she was living with us California. So, I dyed my hair blue! After that, she wasn’t so uptight about it anymore. It even started a fad around town!”

“See!? You are way too nice.”

I smiled, checking on the cake. They were cooled down enough to where I could frost them as soon as I could finish making the frosting. Mai watched me as I worked, amazed at the skill.

“You can become a chef with those skills!”

“Nah. I work to slow.” I said as I put the finishing touches on the Black Forest Cake. “Ta-dah!”

I then cut her a slice and handed it to her. 

“Maybe we should tackle our problems head on instead of coming at them from the side.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Do you want to join Normal Boots?” She asked, now holding a forkful of cake.

I nod as she takes her first bite. “It’s the first time I ever felt like I could fit in anywhere…”

“MMn… Well, I want to date Jared.” She said, now taking a bigger bite. Soon, she had eaten the entire piece.

“Neither of us will get what we want if we keep tip-toeing around the stuff that makes us nervous. If we want something, we should get it. We shouldn’t… Look, just because we’re used to waiting for things to happen to us doesn’t mean they are going to if we wait patiently enough… Although this cake was SO worth the wait.”

I snickered. “Another satisfied customer.”

“Yunna, you have to keep moving forward if you want to join the Normal Boots Club. Strongly, without fear. Without looking back, okay?”

“Right. And you have to as well.”

She nods. “I know.”

“Let’s try harder together! If Hana can move to my school and make friends, why can’t I? I’ll do my best to open up more to the others. Let’s do this, Mai! Who knows what will happen? Maybe even Shane will warm up to me.”

Mai then pulled me into a hug. “Yeah! That’s the spirit! Now let’s head back to our dorm. It’s kinda hot in here.”

“Sure, just let me wrap this up to take with us… And, Mai? Thank you.”

She smiled, taking the cake out of my hands and started to eat it. “No, thank you. Let’s go.”

“You better leave some of that for me.”

“Not a chance!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go! I'm getting so excited!


	11. Day Z

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna makes a deal with the Normal Boots Club and gets a care package from home!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last! The moment of truth! The pivotal moment where you get to decide who to date! I hope you are as excited as I am because I finally get to get started on the routes! Sorry if it is kind of boring reading something you have already read so many times...

**_”Quickly! There are only two minutes left!”_** the game said in giant yellow letters that blocked my view of the cubes behind it. 

I cursed in spanish in my mind, waiting for the letters to go away so I could deploy more troops.

A big, squishy, smiley face with a sword along with a couple of his cronies now occupied the castle on top of the screen. 

“Ah, Mr. Smiley. We finally meet. I will take revenge for the pain you have cause my dear brothers and Hana. Prepare for battle!”

“What are you doing?” Someone asked as I was about to wipe the castle defences with a single swipe.

 ** _”You lose!”_** the game said mockingly. “Ah! I was so close…”

”Whoops, sorry.” Ian said as he walked up to my desk and leaning over my shoulder.

“Is there something you need?” I asked in an irritated tone, still bitter about my loss.

”Yeesh. Touchy, aren’t we?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just upset I lost. I had a lot of traps lined up too…”

”Why are you playing such a boring game anyway?”

“My friend is really into it and has no one else to play with. I’m leveling up for her sake.”

_To be honest, I was practicing. Hana may be a cute girl master, but her matching skills are horrible. I got to practice if we have a hope of beating the co-op campaign._

”That game’s similar to the one that’s going to be used in the tournament, right?” he asked.

I shrugged. “The tournament had nothing to do with me.”

”You lost pretty quickly. It doesn’t seem like you are any goo-” He froze as he looked at my phone, the score total still rising through the hundred thousand range. “Holy crap! How did you do that?”

“Do what?” 

_I was never any good at telling what score was good or not. I can barely allocate my points to the right stats in Dragon Wars 2…_

“Your score… That’s incredible. How long have you been playing this game?” Ian said, flabbergasted. I had never seen him give so many emotions at one time.

“Hm… I’m guessing around two weeks?” I estimated.

“Only two weeks…” he thought aloud, his hand on his chin.  “If you are good at this game, you may be able to learn the one for the tournament.”

“What does this have to do with me, again?”

“We both know how much you’d love to join the Normal Boots Club. And they need someone to fill puzzle games during the tournament. You need to join the team.” 

“You’re kidding, right? The would never let someone like me join. I’m just… average. Aren’t I?” I said, purely basing this on the world leader boards I saw when I first started.

_Just like Mai said in the beginning of the year: Someone like me would drag them down._

Ian sighed. “Look, that was impressive. At least give it some thought. I wouldn’t mind a little competition for once.”  He then spun back and headed to his desk.

“What was that about?” Mai asked as she sat down. 

“Ian is pulling my leg about how I can enter the tournament with Normal Boots.”

“Really? He thinks you have what it takes? That would be awesome, wouldn’t it? Isn’t exactly what you wanted, Yunna?”

“I guess?” I shrugged. “I honestly don’t think I do, though. I’m a noob. Besides, not everyone would be as happy as you if I joined.”

_I can just picture the look on Shane’s face._

“I’m sure if you prove yourself, it will be all right.” she said as she rubbed my back. “What are you going to do?”

I thought about it for a long time before I replied.

“There is no way I am as good as Ian says I am. I’m not even in the top one hundred in the leaderboards. I suck. I suck at everything…”

“No, don’t you dare! You don’t suck. You’re great!” Mai then punched me in the arm, making me flinch.

“OW! Can’t you go a little easier on me?” I asked as I rubbed my arm. “Sorry… I guess my inferiority complex kicked in again… You’re right. I can do it if I try! Thanks for hitting me into another gear, Mai.”

“There’s my girl!” She cheered as she hugged me. “Oh, Yunna. You’re catapulting through the sky like a shooting star. Bless.”

My arm still stung from her punch, but I did my best to ignore it. It was worth the pain.

“So, what are you going to do next? Talk to them?” She asked as she let go.

I imagined a scene of me and Shane arguing, two immovable forces battling against each other. Like rock against the sea. “I’ll come up with something.”

“Well, don’t worry about it too much.” Mai shrugged. “Ian’s a part of the Hidden Block Club, after all. It wouldn't help him to have competition. And besides -”

Ms. Shizuka stormed in the second the bell rang, slapping her hands against her desk in frustration. “Turn to page two hundred and ninety-four!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Class was finally done for the day. After I grabbed my bag, I headed toward Mai who was waiting for me by the door.

“Um… Yunna?” Shane was now standing in my way, looking very nervous as he shifted his weight from side to side. “Can I speak to you?”

I glanced at him before I looked over to Mai, wanting to run over to her. I bit the inside of my cheek. “Mai? Can you go on ahead? I’ll meet up with you later.”

“If you say so…” Mai said with worry in her voice, turning to leave.

Shane motioned for me to follow him out of the classroom and walked over to a small nook next to the windows.

“It came to my attention that perhaps that you may have been avoiding us because of something that I should not have said. And that perchance I may have possibly… bothered you in some such fashion that I scared you away from not only talking to me but to everyone else…”

I gave him a confused look, my mind having trouble keeping up with his string of words he was trying to hobble together. “I’m sorry?”

“Yes, exactly.” He replied. I stifled a laugh.

_He can be worse than me in shyness…_

“I’m… sorry. For what I said. About your hair. I didn’t know why it was colored that way.”

“Wait. How do you know about that?”

“Mai... She came to my room last night and tore my ear off.”

_I need to make that girl a feast… I can’t believe she would do something like that for me! She really is too sweet to me. I couldn’t ask for a better friend._

“I hope you can forgive me.”

I giggled. “Oh, trust me. You have to do a lot better than that to earn my hatred. A lot more.” I felt so much lighter now, smiling at him brightly. “Thanks for apologizing to me. I forgive you. I’m glad you changed your mind.”

“I didn’t say that.”

 _Really?_ I thought as I looked at him, trying not to look upset.

“Look… it’s not about you… Or… in a way it is… But you can’t really help it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is it about me or not?”

“Nevermind.” He said quickly, “Look, you have to come with me. I have a surprise.”

Even with as little trust I had in Shane, I let him grab my wrist and pull me down the hallway. I followed him without question. I know he may not like me still because of my personality now instead of for just my hair, but we all have to start somewhere. I tried to point out that I could follow him without him hanging on to me, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. After all, we just made up. 

We then arrived at the Normal Boots clubroom. Without a word, Shane opened the door and lead me inside. The entire Normal Boots Club was inside, surrounding Ian who did not look as pleased to be here as I was.

”Looks like my work is done here. Bye.” he said as he walked past me.

PBG began to laugh. “See ya at the tournament! And thanks again, man.” He then looked at me. “So, Yunna, I bet you are wondering why we brought you here.”

I nodded, looking at the rest of the boys.

Jon started to explain. “As you know, there is a tournament that happens each year in early spring. This year, the tournament is in about a month and a half. We each compete in various events. It used to be an easy win, but with Hidden Block around, things have changed. We want to keep our competitive edge.”

“Something… happened last year that made it that we no longer have anyone competing in the puzzle category…” Paul said, trying to put his word of phrase delicately.

“I stand by my decision.” Jon said definitely.

“So we need someone to take Jon’s place.” Paul then grabbed Jon’s shoulder, shaking him a little.

“You… want me?” I asked.

Satch nodded. “We all have different categories that we’re entering into and half of us have jobs or other clubs we are busy with. We can’t exactly take on more. For example, I am competing in the invention and game design category.”

“I play retro games.” Jon said, pointing a thumb at himself. “Get a bigger score than the other fellow by the end of the level. That kind of thing.”

“I play pinball on the machines the arcade provides. It’s the same thing really.” PBG said with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Shane does Nario Kart racing. At least he will this year.” Jirard explained. “I do completion speed runs, so I gather and accomplish everything in a game as fast as possible. It’s just as draining as it sounds.”  
“We compete in 80’s and 90’s arcade beat-em-ups.” Paul said as he clinged his arms around Nick and Josh. “Specific, I know.”

“And I?” Jared asked as he threw back his head dramatically and laughed. “I _dance!_ ”

“We each have our own fields.” Satch said as he adjusted his glasses. “And we can’t take the time to learn a new one.”

“So Ian told us about how good you are at Dumbidoom’s Revenge.” Said Jirard. “He suggested that you enter the tournament as a member of the Normal Boots Club.”

“So he wasn’t kidding when he said that I was good?” I pondered out loud. “But, why?”

Jirard smiled. “He’s won that event every year he’s gone to school in this district. He wants a little challenge this time around.”

“Just because we are rivals, doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends!” PGB said happily.

“That’s a nice way to think about it.” I commented.

“Anyway,” Nick said as he crossed his arms. “We voted whether or not you should join the club and… well, long story short, we got a compromise.”

 _Who could have possibly objected to me joining?_ I thought sarcastically in my head.

Nick continued. “You enter the tournament, and if you win, you get to join the Normal Boots Club.”

“If you lose…” Josh added. “Well, you don’t have what it takes. What do you say?”

“So, this is like a bet?” I asked, knowing my eyes were sparkling now, the hype-rain in my mind going full speed now only to be stopped by a big bolder named ‘but…’. “Are… are you guys sure about this?”

I then felt a hand rest on my shoulder. “Yunna.” I heard Mai say, wondering when she got here. “You should accept. Don’t you remember what you told me? No more giving up.”

I grinned as I smiled, now pointing at the entire group overdramatically. “All right. You guys are on!”

_So...I was offered to join the Normal Boots Club. To be honest, I would have taken on that bet even if Mai wasn’t there to encourage me. This was something that I knew, deep down inside of me, that I could win this. If I won, good. If I lost… Well… I tried my best. If they stopped being my friend because of some silly competition, they didn’t deserve to be my friends in the first place. But to be able to join a club where everyone knew what I was talking about… It was worth the risk._

*****************************************************************************************************

After another sleepless night and an early morning of playing Access again, I entered the classroom. I looked at the clock, happy that I had some time to rest. I thought about going to the infirmary again, but I didn’t want to bother Mr. McPasta if I didn’t have to. 

I snuggled my head onto my bag that I was using as a makeshift pillow, only to be startled awake again by someone slamming their hand on my desk. “AAAAAAAAH!”

“Listen up!” Shane shouted, towering over me as he stood in front of my desk. “If you are _really_ competing with us in the tournament - and I still can’t believe that’s happening - then you had _better not_ let us down.”

I looked up at him, glasses askew, and nodded. My mind was still only processing half of what he said. I watched as he pulled the chair from in front of my desk and sat down in it backwards. 

“Let’s talk strategy.” He said, his tone like a drill sergeants. “Do you think practice will get you through this tournament?”

“Well, I have my friend Hana who I can practice against…” I mumbled, only to have him slam his hand on my desk again.

“WRONG!” He shouted. “What you need is not practice, but _strategy._ ”

I was taken aback at this complete 180. Shane, the guy who was usually stone quiet... Shane, the guy who would rather be anywhere else other than here with me, was giving me an extensive lecture on video game strategy. 

I stood up a bit straighter. “Should I be taking notes or…?”

“Pay attention!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

He nodded, continuing his lecture. “Strategy isn’t something you can just study and it isn’t something that you just think about when you’re playing your game.” He then leaned in very close as he said his next few words. “Strategy is always. Repeat after me. Strategy is always.”

“Strategy… is always?” I repeated, a little slow on the uptake.

He stood up as he hit my desk again. “WITH FEELING.”

“STRATEGY IS ALWAYS!!!” I shouted, now standing up with him.

“Good. Do you know what it means?” He asked, now satisfied with my preformance. “In your daily life, you can make choices willy-nilly, like an absolute idiot, or you can make smart, intelligent choices. You can make choices like a _winner._ ”

I nod to show that I was paying attention.

“Sometimes it goes against what we really want to do at the moment. Someone strategizing for a diet would have to pick not to get a second serving, even if they want to, even if they’re hungry. It’s not always what you want, but it is what you got to do. Understand?”

 _That’s actually really good life advice. Where was this when I needed it?_ I thought as I nodded again.

“Good. The more you strategize in your daily life, the better your mind will get when strategizing in-game. Gaming isn’t just for fun. Gaming is life.”

_I suddenly understand hardcore gamers now…_

He then leaned in close again, looking straight into my eyes. “Strategy. Is. Always.”

He then put the chair back to it’s rightful desk and walked back to his seat, solemn as ever, his task now accomplished. He then pulled out a sketchpad and pencils, starting to draw. I sat down again, trying to process how Shane would flip his personality around just like that.

I stared at my desk, fully awake, his words ringing over and over in my head.

_Strategy. Is. Always…_

*****************************************************************************************************

I returned to my room after classes were finished for the day. Mai had beaten me to my room. “Hey, Mai.” I said as I looked at my desk, now seeing a large box. “What’s that?”

“I donno.” Mai shrugged. “They just delivered it a little bit before you got back. It was addressed to you so-”

Without a second thought, I brushed past her, grabbing my scissors off my desk and pushed the box onto the floor. I started to hack away at the tape, desperate to get inside.

“Whoa, jeez! Calm down! It’ not going anywhere!” she griped at me. 

After a few minutes of cutting, I had finally managed to get the box open. After pulling out a few feet of bubble wrap I would probably play with later, I unearthed a heavy black messenger bag, a custom made scooter that was given to me for my birthday last year, and three envelopes each addressed with my names in different handwriting. I sat down on the floor with the box and everything else as I started to read out loud the first letter I grabbed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Yunna, 

I hope you are doing well in school. You don’t know how much I miss you. Have you been eating right?

Aaron and Denis have been behaving themselves. I can tell they miss you too because they get into much less trouble when you are not around.

Hana has been doing good as well. She had recently joined a club. She is very happy here. 

I have been doing fine as well. Lately, they have gotten more subs to help out with all the custodial work around here, so we are no longer so stressed out. Hana has also been making meals for us and the monsters have been keeping up the housework.

They are growing up so fast.

I am glad that you decided to go, either way. I just want you to be happy. 

I sent a few things that I thought you would like. I also found your gold hoop earrings that you wanted to take with you. Make sure you don’t take them off this time. You’ll get used to sleeping in them again.

I miss you.

Love you here all the way to the moon,

Mom

P.S.: Your uncle said he may be visiting Japan again soon. So he may drop by for a visit. Make sure you keep your room clean in case he does.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started to tear up, wiping my eyes as I grabbed the second letter, the envelope covered in star stickers. 

“Your mom sounds nice…” Mai said as she sat down next to me, looking over my shoulder.

“She is…” I took the letter out, laughing as I saw the messy handwriting.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear sis, 

Mom told us to write you a letter. So here it is.

Is Japan everything you thought it would be?

Hope you are having fun. We are now that you can’t nag at us for everything.

Hana is cool, but not as cool as you.

Hope to see you during your next school break.

We miss your cooking.

Your Monsters,

Aaron and Denis

P.S.: We miss you.

P.P.S:We pooled our money together to get you a 4DS since you gave up your allowance to get us one each. We couldn't get you a game though. Sorry.

P.P.P.S: Send candy.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I laughed as I read out the last line.

_I have to send them candy now…_

I then took out the last letter, a pink letter in a pink envelope, my name written in a curvy cursive.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Dear Yunna,

How are you? I hope you are having much more luck in Japan than I ever had. 

Living here at first was a little tough. America is so different than in Japan. I have to take a bus or car to get to anywhere! And I can’t believe how much farmland there is! The sun seems to be brighter here too.

It has been an amazing experience either way. I met so many different people here! I’m glad I came.

I also wanted to ask you a favor. Can you send my father the package I included? We have been sending each other letters and I wanted to send him something I made here, but your mother thought it would be easier if I sent it along with your scooter to save on postage.

I am also getting used to the food here. Your mom seems to like spicy things a lot. It’s good, but I feel bad that she has to make separate dishes for me since I can’t handle spicy stuff. 

I hope school is going well for you as much as it is for me. I joined a club! They play board and card games. I have been told I am really good. 

Be strong. I know how rough it can be. You can get through whatever you set your mind to.

Your friend, 

Hana

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I looked in the box again to see a smaller box, labeled to be sent. I set this box on my desk. I then turned to open up my messenger bag. I then saw the promised 4DS, the color white and a bright pink that matched the room's walls. The rest of the bag was filled with mexican candy. Some were sweet, others spicy. There was even a box of my favorite tamarindo pulp candy! 

I set them aside, Mai helping herself to some as I pulled out another box, this one unlabeled. I open it up to find a skeleton lady in a dark blue dress and a wide black sunhat, it’s edges covered in lace. I smiled at the small statue, placing it on my desk.

“Why she send you that?” Mai asked as she bit into one of the bars of tamarindo pulp candy, almost spitting it out. “AH! That’s spicy!”

I laughed at her a bit before I answered. “It’s La Calavera Catrina. I have a thing for skulls and skeletons in case haven’t noticed from my wardrobe. She’s a big thing around Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, my favorite holiday.”

“Day of the dead? What is that? What got you into it in the first place?” She asked as she ate another candy. “AH! This one is spicy too! Is everything spicy?”

I fingered the three buttons my brothers made for me on my hat, smiling at the three team factions of Access and remembering the day that all of us picked one team each. “It’s a day where we celebrate the lives of family and friends who have passed on. My mom comes from a hispanic descent, so we try and keep the traditions that she learned from her mother and father. That means we eat, sleep, and breath those traditions.”

I then handed her peanut marzipan candy. “Sadly, I never could learn how to speak spanish, but I know enough that I can understand someone speaking it and telenovelas and speak what words I can say with the right accent. You couldn’t tell I was hispanic just by looking at me. I got my pale skin from my dad.”

At the bottom of the same box, I saw a yellow glint as it hit the light. I stuck my hand in and pulled out two small circles, each half an inch in diameter. I put them both on, finally feeling like my true self again. I looked in the mirror, finally recognizing my own face. 

I have had earrings since I was a baby when my ears were first pierced. I didn’t even cry when my grandmother did it. So two weeks without earring didn’t help with me moving to a new country be any easier.

“Mn. So, who are you going to ask to the Flower Festival?” She asked with a mouthful of the crumbly candy.

“Uh… um…” I uttered, completely forgetting all about it.

_I totally forgot! If I don’t ask someone by today…! But who? Maybe one of the Normal Boots guys?_

_Jon was nice, but he didn’t seem interested in anything else but his pet bird or his play at the moment._

_PBG was easygoing, and knows Hana but he keeps looking at me a bit funny._

_Satch is super smart and mature, but he seems kind of distant._

_Shane is… well… Shane. I think he would say no even if I asked him, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try._

_Paul, of Continue?, also crossed my mind. He was nice enough, but almost every interaction with him was disastrous._

_Jirard was super sweet, but I am pretty sure we are only friends._

_There was Jared too… But I could never break Mai’s heart like that, can I?_

_You have to pick someone, Yunna, anyone! Just shout out the first name you think of next!_

“Okay! I pick…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all I wrote! This is the end of the first part. I will be making a collection of this story and the rest of the routes so you can easily find them when I finish. Thanks for sticking with me this far and I hope you will continue to follow the story. Bai-bai!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it this far! I am planning on updating my work every Sunday. Feel free to give me any constructive critique (Because seriously, I need it! The more the better!) and don't hesitate to contact me for any other reason either! Thanks again for reading!


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